Faisal Ali Ba’kar and his two young sisters were filling water containers from a storage tank beside his home in the Yemeni village of Haiys when a mortar round fired by Houthi rebels in the nearby hills exploded next to them.
His sisters, 8-year-old Fatima and 6-year-old Zaiynab, were killed instantly. Eleven-year-old Faisal was left with deep wounds.
Just two months later, Faisal’s one year old sister was killed in a separate mortar attack.
"I will not forget that black day ever, my heart is bleeding. I feel like the war erupted just to kill my family, nothing more", Faisal's father Ali Ba'kar told The National.
Houthi fighters occupied the village of Haiys, 130 kilometres southeast of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, until it was liberated by pro-government forces in December 2017. Residents recount the systemic violence, intimidation and coercion they suffered under the Houthis and although the rebels have been driven out, the local population is still not safe.
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Read more:
Yemen foreign minister expresses support for UN process
Arab Coalition to open humanitarian corridors between Hodeidah and Sanaa
UN aid chief: Fight against famine is being lost in Yemen
Yemen's Houthi rebels cut off food supplies for Hodeidah residents
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Pushed into the surrounding hills of Al Nar to the east and north, the Houthis pepper the village with indiscriminate mortar fire. On the day that Fatima and Zaiynab were killed, the rebels were firing into the populated neighbourhood around Al Hitary mosque.
A year after the attack that killed his sisters, Faisal is still confined to his rough, homemade bed with a brace tightly fixed to his arm and bandages covering deep wounds to his thighs.
"I was roaming the city trying to find some woods to cook food for them while they went out to the water tank to bring some supplies,” Mr Ba’kar said. “I was walking fast coming back to them to let their mother cook, they hadn’t eaten anything for a day and night because the clashes were very intense. But alas, everything was gone. When I arrived, my two daughters had passed away."
Mr Ba’kar collapsed when he saw the shattered remains of his children and his bleeding son. The thin and pale Faisal sat in silence as his father told the story. A year after the death of his sisters, he still isn’t able to talk about it.
"What can I tell you, you see me. I feel nothing but pain all over my body, the doctors told me that my legs haven't improved yet [even though] it has been a year since I was injured," Faisal said.
In the family home, the destroyed bedroom in which one year old Nada was killed is still shattered and rubble-strewn.
"The Houthi projectile penetrated the wall of the room and torn apart the bed where Nada was sleeping with her mother to kill her immediately," Mr Bakar said. Although their baby was killed, her mother survived the blast.
"My wife has...lost three daughters and the only son we have is still suffering very much, this is really heartbreaking," said Mr Ba'kar, staring at a photo of his baby which he has hung on the wall above the bed she was killed.
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Max touring range: 620km / 590km
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
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Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
'Lost in Space'
Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen
Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins
Rating: 4/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
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Transmission: 9-speed automatic
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