An attack on a funeral procession in northern Iraq has claimed the lives of at least 11 people, Iraq’s military have said.
The military said on Friday the “terrorist” attack in Yathrib district of Salahaddin province resulted in a “number of victims” but did not provide specific figures.
An Iraqi security official said 11 people had been killed, among them police and civilians, and that armed militants had opened fire on the crowd.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack had been perpetrated by ISIS. The death toll could not be immediately confirmed but local officials said a number of the wounded were in critical condition and several had been rushed to hospital in Baghdad.
The military said it will provide details once an investigation is complete, but initial reports suggest a large crowd of mourners had gathered in the open and had then come under sniper fire.
Iraqi security forces said the attack stopped after a surge of military personnel and local fighters went to the scene.
Northern Iraq has been a hotspot for ISIS activity since their territorial defeat in 2017 by Iraqi security forces with assistance from the US-led coalition. Iraqi forces routinely carry out anti-ISIS operations in the rugged mountainous northern region and the deserts of western Iraq where they are known to be holed up.
Local tensions
ISIS attacks have abated in recent years but continue in these remote areas north of Baghdad where security forces are often the target of ambushes, raids and IEDs.
But Salahaddin has in recent years been fairly secure and attacks on the capital of the province, Tikrit, are rare.
Close knit Sunni tribal communities frequently cooperate with an array of different Iraqi security forces, including the Iraqi army, local police and in some cases, Iran-backed militias.
But the presence of Iran-backed groups has proven divisive.
In Yathrib, Iran-backed militia Asaib Ahl Al Haq has a strong presence, which according to a recent study by the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, has exacerbated tensions within the local Sunni majority community.
The US has sanctioned the group for grievous human rights abuses, including the killing of thousands of Sunni civilians during the years of US occupation and the war on ISIS and since 2019, hundreds of Shiite protesters.
Analysts also warn that having such a large number of security force groups, from militias to local police and the army, often leads to coordination problems, allowing ISIS to infiltrate between different units.
The deterioration of security north of the Iraqi capital means that at times, the terrorists have been successful striking within Baghdad, although attacks in the capital are far less frequent than in the past.
At least 30 people were killed last week in a suicide bombing in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. The attack was claimed by ISIS.
Sour%20Grapes
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
SPECS
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On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
