Qatar tipped off Al Qaeda fighters about a UAE military operation in Yemen, enabling them to carry out a suicide bomb attack injuring Emirati soldiers, according to a senior UAE diplomat.
Omar Ghobash, the UAE’s ambassador to Russia, told BBC's Hardtalk programme that the discovery of the incident was among the factors behind the decision by the UAE and its allies last month to sever diplomatic, trade and transport links with Qatar over its support of extremist groups.
Mr Ghobash spoke of the attack in the programme broadcast on Thursday when he was pressed on what evidence the quartet had that Qatar had supported terrorism.
He told presenter Sarah Montague that UAE forces were hunting Al Qaeda in Yemen, alongside Qatari forces, when they were hit by four suicide bombers, resulting in Emirati casualties.
"We were in the process of engaging with Al Qaeda, the Qataris were alongside us,” Mr Ghobash said. “We as a government have information, that our Qatari allies informed Al Qaeda of our precise location and what we were planning to do and we then received four suicide bombers at our door. We had a number of soldiers that were injured.
"We have had Emirati soldiers dying as a result of Qatari activities."
Mr Ghobash said evidence of Qatar’s support of terror groups included voice recordings and video evidence picked up in the field.
“Everybody knows Qatar has a close relationship over the past few years with Jabhat Al Nusra,” he said, referring to Al Qaeda’s Syria affiliate
The evidence includes, “known individuals in Qatar giving instructions to known individuals whether it's in Yemen, Libya or in Syria on carrying out certain acts.”
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Read more:
Arab countries' six principles for Qatar 'a measure to restart the negotiation process'
Doha must negotiate its way back into the fold or face years of isolation
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Before the quartet's June 5 decision to boycott Doha, Qatar had troops deployed as part of a Saudi-led coalition, which is backing Yemen’s legitimate government against Iran-allied Houthi rebels.
Qatar’s involvement in Yemen was ended by the Arab coalition when the boycott started.
The UAE has played a leading role in both the campaign to defeat Houthi rebels fighting the government and operations against extremist groups in Yemen’s south.
Qatar's minister of state for defence Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah on Wednesday said Qatari troops had never been inside Yemen's borders, saying instead they had been deployed as part of the coalition to help defend the Saudi side of the border.
The minister told Turkish website TRT World that Qatar had felt "obliged" to joing the Arab coalition in Yemen.
On Thursday, a quartet statement clarified its position and what it expects from Qatar for any progress to be made in mediating the crisis.
The statement referred to a briefing on Tuesday in New York, in which Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, said time had run out for Qatar to change its ways and that action was needed urgently to “put out the fire that Qatar has been fuelling”.
Abdallah Al Mouallimi, ambassador and permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the UN, said any lasting solution would have to come from the Gulf region but that Qatar had so far failed to provide any meaningful engagement over the list of specific demands made by the four Arab countries last month.
Mediation of the crisis would have to be within the framework of six principles laid out including a commitment to combat terrorism and extremism in all its forms, the statement said.
Lana Nusseibeh, ambassador and permanent representative of UAE to the UN, said that Qatar needed to understand that there was no going back to the “status quo” before the crisis.
“There is no room for Qatar in the GCC if they have a different standard for what ‘terrorism’ is,” she said.
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
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Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality
The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
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Our family matters legal consultant
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
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Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1. |
United States |
2. |
China |
3. |
UAE |
4. |
Japan |
5 |
Norway |
6. |
Canada |
7. |
Singapore |
8. |
Australia |
9. |
Saudi Arabia |
10. |
South Korea |
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Volvo ES90 Specs
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Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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