Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of Fadel Al Maksousi, a Kataib Hezbollah fighter, who was reportedly killed in the US strikes on Tuesday. AFP
Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of Fadel Al Maksousi, a Kataib Hezbollah fighter, who was reportedly killed in the US strikes on Tuesday. AFP
Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of Fadel Al Maksousi, a Kataib Hezbollah fighter, who was reportedly killed in the US strikes on Tuesday. AFP
Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of Fadel Al Maksousi, a Kataib Hezbollah fighter, who was reportedly killed in the US strikes on Tuesday. AFP

US strikes again at militants after attack on Iraq's Al Asad Air Base


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US forces responded early on Tuesday and Wednesday to an attack on Ain Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, a US defence official told The National, with Central Command saying one operation resulted in "several enemy casualties".

The official said US forces “responded in self-defence against those who carried out the strike” on Tuesday after an attack resulted in “minor injuries to US personnel and damage to infrastructure”.

While the official declined to give more details, they confirmed it had occurred amid reports of an air strike that struck a pick-up truck belonging to an Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq, west of Baghdad.

The vehicle was travelling on a motorway near Baghdad’s western suburb of Abu Ghraib when it was struck about 4.30am, two Iraqi security officials told The National. They did not give more details.

Centcom later confirmed Tuesday's military action in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying “an AC-130 gunship engaged individuals responsible for launching a missile attack on US and coalition personnel at Al Asad Air Base”.

“The gunship maintained visual confirmation of the individuals from the time of the launch to the time of engagement,” Centcom said of its retaliatory operation.

“This strike resulted in several enemy casualties.”

Centcom also announced in a post on X that, on Wednesday, US forces "conducted discrete, precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq", as part of its continuing response to what it claims to be Iranian-backed attacks.

Centcom did not provide more details on what kind of aircraft or artillery were used in the later strikes, and if there were any fatalities.

The attacks are the first by the US inside Iraq since the Israel-Gaza war began.

Previously, the US had only conducted retaliatory air strikes against militia sites in Syria.

Tuesday's attack is also the first US attack that was not previously planned since attacks on personnel in the region began in mid-October, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said.

The US used an aircraft that was already in the air and had eyes on the militants.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of Iran-backed militias, claimed responsibility in a Telegram post for the attacks on the base, along with another on Al Shaddadi in Hasakah, Syria.

Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder in a statement confirmed at least eight injuries as part of the strike on Al Asad Air Base.

Brig Gen Ryder said the militias used "a close-range ballistic missile" in its attack.

Earlier, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced the death of a fighter with Kataib Hezbollah, one of the largest Iran-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq.

The statement did not give details on when or how he was killed, but said he died in the “battle for the righteousness against falsehood of the forces of the American occupation in Iraq”.

A legislator close to Shiite militias confirmed the fighter was killed in the Abu Ghraib attack, accusing US troops of being behind his death.

On Tuesday afternoon, militiamen held a funeral in Baghdad for the killed fighter, identified as Fadhil Al Maksousi.

Dozens of militiamen in military uniform carried the wooden casket, wrapped in the flag of Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq.

Hours later, Al Dhafirin militia said in a statement that it had attacked Ain Al Asad base with mortar rounds in retaliation for the killing of Mr Al Maksousi.

“Al Dhafirin group within the Islamic Resistance vows more operations and gradual escalation until the last occupying soldier leaves this sacred land,” it said.

After Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, militia groups linked to Iran began a surge of attacks on bases hosting US troops in Iraq and Syria with drones and missiles.

They also claimed responsibility for attacks in Eilat in Israel.

Militia groups in Iraq have linked the recent attacks on US bases to Washington's support for Israel in its war on Gaza, and say the US should cease backing Israel's assault if it wants the attacks to stop.

Analysts say the militias are operating under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a front organisation that includes powerful groups such as Kataib Hezbollah, which is thought to have killed hundreds of US forces during the 2003-2011 US occupation.

The US has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in neighbouring Iraq, on a mission it says aims to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of ISIS, which in 2014 seized vast areas of both countries but was later defeated.

Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
INDIA SQUADS

India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar

India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul

Kalra's feat
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  • Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
  • Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
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MEYDAN CARD

6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.05pm Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m

7.40pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m

8.15pm Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m

8.50pm The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m

9.25pm The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m

10pm Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m

 

The National selections

6.30pm Majestic Thunder

7.05pm Commanding

7.40pm Mark Of Approval

8.15pm Mulfit

8.50pm Gronkowski

9.25pm Walking Thunder

10pm Midnight Sands

The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima


Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Company%20profile
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Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

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RESULT

Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen:
 Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')

Company profile

Date started: December 24, 2018

Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer

Based: Dubai Media City

Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)

Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech

Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year

Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020

The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded 

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape

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Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

GP3 race, 12:30pm

Formula 1 final practice, 2pm

Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm

Formula 2 race, 6:40pm

Performance: Sam Smith

GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

Need to know

Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.

Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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

Updated: November 22, 2023, 1:05 AM