BAGHDAD: Mariam Khaled squinted her eyes, drew in her sail against the wind and set her white dinghy toward a point on the riverbank: Adhamiya, to be precise, in central Baghdad.
With the orange sunset saturating the sky, a cluster of mostly teenage sailors, windsurfers and jet-skiers were making waves along the river Tigris.
“It’s a difficult sport that requires a lot of effort, and plenty of patience and perseverance,” 16-year-old Khaled, a former junior swimming champion, told AFP.
“But I want to show everyone that we, Iraqi women, can succeed,” she added, after pulling her dinghy up the muddy bank.
The water sports are also revolutionizing how Iraqis interact with the historic Tigris and Euphrates, which gave the country its byname of the “land between the two rivers” millennia ago.
Water levels in the twin rivers have dropped by half because of dams upstream in neighboring Turkey and Iran.
One year in Baghdad, the levels drew so low that residents could squelch between the banks of the Tigris on foot.
Following the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, Adhamiya became the heart of a Sunni insurrection and one of the most dangerous places in Baghdad.
The dark years of Iraq’s sectarian fighting from 2006 until 2008 pitted it against the Shiite district of Kadhimiya, just across the Tigris.
The remains of victims who were thrown into the river back then still sometimes wash ashore — but today, Baghdad’s river bends see much more life than death.
Along the waterfront, restaurants and small funfairs are teeming with families who gaze out at the young athletes.
“It’s now a place of leisure and relaxation,” said Ghazi Al-Shayaa, a sports journalist.
“It’s a joy to see Baghdadis gathering here nearly every day to watch the swimmers or the boats go by,” he said.
The latest major round of violence in Iraq ended in 2017, when the government declared victory in its years-long fight against the Islamic State jihadist group.
The next year, Ahmad Mazlum came up with a crazy idea: setting up Iraq’s first water sports federation.
Its riverside headquarters in Adhamiya is identifiable by the rows of white dinghies and bright windsurfing sails.
Half of the 10 dinghies are Iraqi-made, at around $600 each.
“An (imported) sailboat can cost $10,000. So we had to build our own in a workshop we set up with the club members,” said Mazlum, the federation’s deputy head.
The around 100 mostly teenage members — eight of them girls — wear matching fluorescent athletics clothes, as bathing suits would likely contravene Iraq’s widely conservative norms.
Boys and girls train together under Anmar Salman, a regional rowing champion who recruited from fellow rowers and Iraqi swimmers to launch the sailing club.
Aboard a motorized boat one late afternoon, he advised the young sailors on how to tack and deal with wind conditions.
“Turn now!” called out the instructor with the neatly-trimmed beard.
The stretch of river where they practice has surprisingly robust winds of up to 15 knots, likely because the buildings on either side create a tunnel.
Salman is planning to take his young trainees to qualifiers next year in Abu Dhabi for the Tokyo Olympics.
But since they can only train up and down the river, they may not have the same versatility as sea sailors.
The team also suffers from a lack of funding, Salman said.
“The problem is that athletic institutions in the country aren’t interested in sailing — but the Olympic Committee has backed us with some meagre means,” he told AFP.
Still, the federation is proud to nurture a culture of sailing in Iraq, where navigating the Tigris and Euphrates has been done for several millennia — but usually on circular “quffa” rowboats.
For the youth in Adhamiya, the spirit of camaraderie and discovery seems to be enough, Salman said.
“Luckily, our athletes adore the sport and like to train for the joy of doing it, without demanding much else.”
Sailing Baghdad’s river bends, young Iraqis rock the boat
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Sailing Baghdad’s river bends, young Iraqis rock the boat
- The water sports are also revolutionizing how Iraqis interact with the historic Tigris and Euphrates
Syria leader in Qatar for first time since Assad fall
- Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on his arrival
- Qatar was one of the first Arab countries to back the armed rebellion led by Al-Sharaa
The official Qatar News Agency reported Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on his arrival at Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
Earlier, Syria’s foreign minister posted on X that he was accompanying Sharaa on his “first presidential visit to the country that has stood by Syrians from day one and has never abandoned them.”
Sharaa and Shaibani’s Qatar trip comes on the heels of a Sunday visit to the United Arab Emirates, where they met Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who expressed his country’s support for Syria’s reconstruction.
Sharaa’s Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham led the alliance that ousted Assad from power on December 8.
His new administration has received support from several countries including key backers Turkiye and Qatar, as well as multiple Arab states.
Qatar was one of the first Arab countries to back the armed rebellion that erupted after Assad’s government crushed a peaceful uprising in 2011. Unlike other Arab nations, Doha did not restore diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad.
The new authorities have engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity since taking power, and Sharaa has visited several Arab countries as well as Turkiye.
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun departed Beirut on Tuesday for Doha, his office said, on his first visit to the Gulf country since his January election.
“The visit will continue until tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, and will include a bilateral meeting between President Aoun and the Emir of Qatar, as well as expanded talks involving both the Qatari and Lebanese delegations,” Aoun’s presidential office said.
A day earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with Sharaa in Damascus in an effort to reboot ties between the two neighbors.
Beirut and Damascus have been seeking to improve relations since the overthrow of Assad, whose family dynasty exercised control over Lebanese affairs for decades and has been accused of assassinating numerous officials in Lebanon who expressed opposition to its rule.
Middle East analyst Andreas Krieg said since the fall of the Assad government, Qatar had emerged as “the most important interlocutor with the Al-Sharaa government in the Arab world, at least after Turkiye.”
He said the gas-rich Gulf emirate was a “diplomatic force multiplier to the Al-Sharaa government in Syria” and would be able to connect Syrians back to Lebanon “which is, for both countries, extremely important.”
Sheikh Tamim visited Damascus in January, becoming the first head of state to visit since Assad’s ouster.
Doha has pledged to support the rehabilitation of Syria’s infrastructure, and in January announced an agreement to provide Syria with 200 megawatts of power, gradually increasing production.
Syrian authorities are seeking assistance including from wealthy Gulf states for reconstruction after nearly 14 years of war.
Qatar is one of the providers of financial and in-kind support to the Lebanese army and pledged support for reconstruction in February after the recent confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel.
Sudan war drains life from once-thriving island in capital’s heart
Nestled at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers, Tuti Island has been devastated by two years of war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with residents subjected to violence and looting.
When fighting broke out on April 15, 2023, RSF fighters swiftly captured the crescent-shaped island, forcing residents to flee in panic.
“They fled in feluccas (sailing boats), leaving everything behind,” said Youssef Al-Naim, 67, one of the handful of residents who never left.
The war has devastated the nation, killed tens of thousands and uprooted 13 million, according to the United Nations.
At the beginning of the war, the RSF had gained control of wide swathes of the capital, outflanking the army in the north and south, before the tides turned in the army’s favor earlier this year.
The island, accessible only by a single suspension bridge, was cut off and besieged by the RSF since the war began.
Residents were deprived of food, electricity and safe drinking water, even before fighters descended on the island.
“We used to carry water from a well for washing and drink from the Nile,” Naim said.
“Sometimes we couldn’t reach the river and drank the well water, which made people sick.”
Those able to pay for passage, fled in sailing boats and then the back of lorries, headed east.
“Every day, 10 or more people would leave,” Naim recalled as he sat on a tattered fabric chair.
Tuti island was once known as “Khartoum’s garden” for its verdant fields of beans, arugula and fruit trees that supplied much of the capital’s produce.
Now, the eight-square-kilometer (three-square-mile) floating patch, overlooking Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri (Khartoum North) which form the greater Sudanese capital, appears nearly lifeless.
“For nearly two years, I haven’t seen a single tomato,” Naim said.
An AFP team that visited the island after the army retook it in March saw signs of the sudden exodus.
Doors hung ajar, children’s toys were scattered across the ground and shredded fabric fluttered through the ruins.
On March 22, Sudan’s army regained control of the Tuti bridge as part of its broader offensive to retake Khartoum. Within a week, Burhan declared the capital “free.”
But the scars of two years of war run deep, with RSF fighters accused of subjecting civilians to indiscriminate violence.
“They beat children, the elderly and even pregnant women,” Abdel Hai Hamza, another resident, told AFP.
Witnesses also described systematic looting, with fighters raiding homes in search of gold jewelry, cash and weapons.
“They had to leave houses with something,” added Hamza, 33.
The conflict has decimated Sudan’s infrastructure, crumbled an already weak economy and pushed millions to the brink of mass starvation.
In Khartoum alone, at least 3.5 million have been displaced while 100,000 are suffering from famine-levels of hunger, according to the UN.
Both the army and the RSF have been accused of war crimes, but the paramilitary in particular has become notorious for allegedly committing systematic sexual violence, ethnic cleansing and massive looting.
Now, with the bridge to Tuti reopened and RSF fighters pushed out, some residents are making their way back, determined to rebuild their lives.
“Residents are trying to restore electricity,” after cables were cut by the RSF, said Sherif Al-Tayeb, a former resident of Tuti who now lives abroad and still has close friends among the island’s residents.
Despite the devastation, small groups of civilians clean the streets with shovels and buckets, while dump trucks haul away the remnants of their shattered lives.
UN human rights office concerned about Israeli strikes on civilians in Lebanon
- At least 71 civilians — including 14 women and nine children — have been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon
GENEVA: The United Nations human rights office is concerned about the protection of civilians in Lebanon as Israeli military operations have continued to kill civilians since the ceasefire.
“Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians,” the spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Thameen Al-Kheetan, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
At least 71 civilians — including 14 women and nine children — have been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon, since the ceasefire came into effect on 27 November last year, and 92,000 are still displaced, according to OHCHR.
“We are calling for investigations into all allegations of violations...Each and every military action where civilians are killed must be investigated,” Al-Kheetan said.
“The ceasefire must hold and any escalation is a risk for stability in general in Lebanon, Israel and the whole region,” he added.
Israeli airstrike hits hospital entrance in Gaza, killing medic and wounding 9 other people
- The Israeli military has struck hospitals on several occasions during the 18-month war
DEIR AL-BALAH: An Israeli airstrike hit the northern gate of a field hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing a medic and wounding nine other people, a spokesman for the hospital said.
The strike hit the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands have sought shelter in sprawling tent camps. The wounded were all patients and medics, and two of the patients were in critical condition after the strike, said Saber Mohammed, a hospital spokesman.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The military has struck hospitals on several occasions during the 18-month war, accusing Hamas militants of hiding out in them or using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegations and accused Israel of recklessly endangering civilians and gutting the territory's health system.
On Sunday, Israel struck the last major hospital providing critical care in northern Gaza after ordering an evacuation. A patient died during the evacuation, and the strike severely damaged the emergency room, pharmacy and surrounding buildings, according to Al-Ahli Hospital.
The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the hospital, condemned the strike.
A spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN chief is “deeply alarmed” at Sunday's strike by Israeli forces on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.
“Under international humanitarian law, wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected,” the UN chief's spokesperson said Tuesday.
Israel said it targeted a Hamas command and control center within the facility, without providing evidence. Hamas denied the allegations.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed nearly 51,000 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up more than half of the dead. The offensive has destroyed a vast part of the territory and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Hamas says it’s sending a delegation to Qatar to continue Gaza ceasefire talks
- Hamas official says group likely to respond to Israel truce proposal within 48 hours
- Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry said that 38 people were confirmed dead over the past day
DEIR AL-BALAH: A senior Hamas official told AFP on Tuesday that the Palestinian Islamist movement will “most likely” respond to an Israeli ceasefire proposal it received through mediators within 48 hours.
“Hamas will most likely send its response to the mediators within the next 48 hours, as the movement is still conducting in-depth consultations... within its leadership framework, as well as with resistance factions, in order to formulate a unified position,” the official told AFP.
A Hamas official said Monday that the group is sending a delegation to Qatar to continue indirect ceasefire talks with Israel over the war in Gaza, as the territory’s Health Ministry said that 38 people were confirmed dead over the past day.
The Hamas official said teams have been discussing terms for a new ceasefire agreement over recent days in Cairo, including a proposal that Hamas free eight to 10 hostages held in Gaza. But the Hamas official said a major sticking point remained over whether the war would end as part of any new deal.
The talks in Qatar are meant to take place later this week or next, the official said.
The Hamas official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the sensitive talks with the media. Officials from Israel and Qatar had no immediate comment.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in January that lasted eight weeks before Israel resumed the war last month. The initial ceasefire agreement was meant to bring the sides toward negotiating an end to the war, something Israel has resisted doing because it wants to defeat Hamas first.
Hundreds have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed
Since the ceasefire fell apart last month, Israel has blocked aid from entering Gaza and forces have also seized swaths of the coastal enclave in a bid to ratchet up pressure on Hamas to agree to a deal more aligned with Israel’s terms.
On Monday, the United Nations humanitarian office warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now likely to be “the worst” since Israel launched its retaliation to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, pointing to the Israeli ban on all supplies entering the Gaza Strip since March 2.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters: “No fuel has come in, no food has come in, no medicine has come in.”
The war started when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, during the attack on southern Israel and took 251 people captive. Most have since been freed in ceasefire agreements and other deals. Fifty-nine remain in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Nearly 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count but says more than half of the dead have been women and children.
The Health Ministry said Monday that the bodies of 38 people killed in Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals across the territory over the past 24 hours. It said more than 1,600 people have been killed since the ceasefire collapsed.
The Red Cross says Israel has detained a Palestinian medic
Also Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that a Palestinian medic was detained during an Israeli military operation in which troops killed 15 first responders in the Gaza Strip. It was the first confirmation of the medic’s whereabouts since the March 23 attack in southern Gaza.
A statement from the Red Cross said it has not been granted access to visit him and did not say how it had received confirmation of his detention. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
The Israeli military initially said troops had opened fire on vehicles that raised suspicion because they were traveling without lights on. It later backtracked after a cellphone video emerged showing clearly marked ambulances traveling with their sirens flashing before the shooting.
The military also said it killed nine militants traveling in the ambulances, without providing evidence. It named one of the militants, but the name did not match those of any of the paramedics, and no other bodies are known to have been recovered.
The military says it is investigating further.
