A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighter on the frontlines with the Syrian Democratic Forces in the countryside outside Manbij. AFP
A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighter on the frontlines with the Syrian Democratic Forces in the countryside outside Manbij. AFP
A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighter on the frontlines with the Syrian Democratic Forces in the countryside outside Manbij. AFP
A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighter on the frontlines with the Syrian Democratic Forces in the countryside outside Manbij. AFP

Turkish strikes kill eight Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria


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Kurdish-led armed groups in Iraq and Syria alleged that Turkish air strikes killed eight of their fighters on Friday.

The counterterrorism service of the regional government in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq said that four members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, were killed and another was wounded in a Turkish drone strike in Sharbazher district in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

The drone attacked a vehicle carrying PKK fighters near the village of Rangina, it said.

Also Friday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which control much of north-east Syria, said that four of its fighters were killed by a Turkish drone attack on the village of Khirbet Khwei in the Amuda region.

The statement accused Turkey of “aiming at undermining security and stability in the region”.

There was no comment from Turkey on the strikes.

The violence was the latest in a monthslong escalation between Turkey and Turkish-backed groups and Kurdish fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey has spent years fighting Kurdish militants in its east and large Kurdish communities live in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, where they have a degree of self-rule. Turkey considers the main Kurdish militia in north-east Syria an ally of the outlawed PKK. The PKK has for decades waged an insurgency within Turkey.

Turkish strikes in northern Iraq have been a bone of contention with the Iraqi government, which has condemned them as an attack on its sovereignty.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Iraq in the near future, where the PKK activities and Turkish strikes in the Kurdish region are likely to be points of discussion.

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Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
The specs

Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre

Power: 325hp

Torque: 500Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh189,700

On sale: now

Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others

Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.

As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.

Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.

“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”

Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.

“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”

Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.

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Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Updated: July 29, 2023, 6:23 AM