A senior ISIS member was killed during a raid by American forces in Syria on Friday, the US military’s Central Command said.
Iraq’s counterterrorism agency said it helped to locate the militant, who was identified as Omar Abdul-Qader, also known by his nom de guerre Abdul-Rahman Al Halabi. He was head of the extremist group’s external operations and security, it said.
Abdul-Qader was accused of overseeing attacks in a number of countries, including the bombing of Iran's embassy in Lebanon, and planning other operations in Europe and the US that were ultimately foiled through intelligence work, the Counter-Terrorism Service said.
“We will not yield in our pursuit of terrorists seeking to attack the United States, our forces, or allies and partners abroad. I commend the efforts of our skilled warfighters and all who supported them during the mission,” Centcom commander ADM Brad Cooper said in a statement announcing Abdul-Qader's death.
Adm Cooper met Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara in Damascus last week and has also visited Iraq as part of a regional tour after being appointed to head Centcom in August.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said Abdul-Qader was killed in Syria’s central province of Hama.
The Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdulrahman, said Abdel-Qader was a Syrian citizen who had been arrested in Lebanon and was later handed over to Damascus authorities when former president Bashar Al Assad was in power. He escaped after rebel forces toppled Mr Al Assad in December, and had been on the run since.
ISIS once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq where the extremists declared a caliphate in 2014, and were known for carrying out brutal acts in both countries in addition to planning deadly attacks throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world.
The extremists were defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, but their sleeper cells remain active.
Champion%20v%20Champion%20(PFL%20v%20Bellator)
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
SHAITTAN
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
More on Quran memorisation:
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
