Erbil, Iraq
Rocket attack: A rocket attack in the normally peaceful capital of Iraqi Kurdistan this week killed a civilian contractor with the U.S.led military coalition and wounded six other personnel, including a U.S. soldier. The rockets rained down on Erbil’s airport and on residential areas nearby, and an unknown number of civilians were wounded. A little-known, Iranian-backed Shiite militant group calling itself the Guardians of the Blood Brigade claimed responsibility; Iran said it had nothing to do with the attack. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden “reserves the right to respond in the time and manner of our choosing” to the attack. Attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq briefly stepped up early last year after top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. Analysts said this rocket attack could be Iran’s attempt to test the Biden administration.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Where is the princess? A daughter of Dubai’s ruler—who disappeared after she attempted to flee the emirate in 2018—is being held captive by her family “in a villa converted into a jail,” according to video messages she sent her friends. Desperate to escape what she said was her father’s cruel treatment, Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, now 35, tried to sail across the Arabian Sea to reach India. The boat was stormed by commandoes, and Sheikha Latifa was forcibly returned to Dubai. In captivity, she sent her friends video messages using a smuggled-in phone. “Every day, I’m worried about my safety and my life,” she says in one message. Her friends gave the videos to the BBC after they lost contact with her late last year. The royal family insists she is completely fine.