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Abdul Ghani Baradar made a triumphant return to Kandahar on Tuesday, as a delegation of top Taliban officials arrived to take power in Afghanistan.
Pictures shared on Taliban social media accounts showed crowds waving the insurgent group's white flag as they waited for Mr Baradar in the country’s second-biggest city, with fireworks being lit to celebrate his return.
One of the most senior members of the Afghan Taliban, Mr Baradar is being tipped as the likely co-leader of the next government, alongside former interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali.
A veteran military commander, Mr Baradar helped found the Taliban and was one of its late leader Mullah Omar's most trusted commanders.
According to Washington, he was the Taliban's number two and ran the group's insurgency in Afghanistan until he was captured in 2010 by security forces in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi.
Born in Uruzgan province in 1968, Mr Baradar fought alongside Mullah Omar against the Soviets. He is not known to speak English and does not speak to the media outside of official statements.
After the Russians were driven out in 1989 and the country fell into a civil war fought by rival warlords, Mr Baradar set up a madrassa in Kandahar with Mullah Omar.
It was there that the two men, along with a handful of others, established the Taliban movement.
Mr Baradar remained at the centre of the movement from its earliest days in the mid-1990s.
He was believed to be the architect of the movement's victories when they swept and took over the country in 1996.
He was described as the operational leader of the organisation, heading its leadership council and taking day-to-day control with occasional instruction from the elusive Mullah Omar, who was the movement's spiritual figurehead.
Mr Baradar was thought to be the deputy minister of defence at the time the Taliban were ousted by the US and its Afghan allies in 2001.
He was placed under UN Security Council sanctions, which included the freezing of his assets, a travel ban and an arms embargo.
Mr Baradar's release in late 2018 came after US special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, reportedly held his first meeting with the Taliban in Doha.
It is believed that Mr Baradar, along with a small group of insurgents, approached former interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai in 2001 with a letter outlining a potential deal that would have involved the militants recognising the new administration.
He headed the political office of the Taliban and was part of a negotiating team in Qatar that attempted to create a political deal to pave the way for a ceasefire and peace in the country.
Mr Baradar oversaw the signing of the agreement with Washington that paved the way for the withdrawal of US and coalition troops from Afghanistan.
Representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents met on and off for months in the Qatari capital, but the talks lost momentum as the insurgents made battlefield gains.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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.
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UAE%20FIXTURES
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Naga
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Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Top 10 most polluted cities
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- Peshawar, Pakistan
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Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
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Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5