A recent report by the UN has said the Taliban are once again allowing the terror group Al Qaeda on Afghan soil – one of the original justifications for the US-led invasion of the country, following the group’s September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington that killed 3,000 people.
The UN as well as experts spoken to by The National say the movement is now torn between a dangerous militant wing that refuses to compromise and a less militant but still extremely conservative side.
The Taliban have also appointed several Al Qaeda members to advisory roles in its administration as well as provided their members with monthly “welfare payments”, portions of which filtered down to fighters of affiliated groups, according to the Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team.
The sustained influence of Al Qaeda, the report claims, has contributed to widening fault lines within the Taliban.
The killing of former Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri in a US drone strike in July 2022 exposed these divisions, with some Taliban members feeling deceived over the presence of the terrorist leader in Kabul, reportedly protected by the Haqqanis – a powerful network within the movement.
[The] ongoing struggles for power among various factional leaders are further destabilising the situation, to the point where an outbreak of armed conflict between rival factions is a manifest risk
UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team
Others sensed Al Zawahiri had been betrayed by senior Taliban leaders, the report noted.
These divisions, the report observed, have created preconditions for the weakening of the de facto regime that could have a dire impact on regional and international security.
“[The] ongoing struggles for power among various factional leaders are further destabilising the situation, to the point where an outbreak of armed conflict between rival factions is a manifest risk,” the report stated.
Intelligence officials and security analysts, however, have long claimed the Taliban are a fracturing group.
“There were pre-existing differences among the Taliban factions, of which there are many. Consequently, even at the Qatar talks, representatives from four factions [of Taliban] participated,” said Rahmatullah Nabil, a former Afghan spy chief who has frequently claimed that several distinct Taliban councils have not only operated simultaneously, but also clashed.
“Now that they have come to power, the tensions between different factions have become more apparent, primarily revolving around power, wealth and even tribal affiliations.” He added that their status as proxy groups for other countries has further intensified divisions.
Kabul and Kandahar split
According to the report, the principal split within the Taliban was between factions representing Kandahar and Kabul power bases.
“The Kandahar group consists primarily of loyalist clerics close to [Taliban Supreme Leader] Hibatullah Akhundzada, while the Kabul-based faction represents the Haqqanis and much of the working de facto cabinet in the capital, including Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, acting Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqub Omari and head of the General Directorate of Intelligence Abdul Haq Wassiq,” it noted.
The report described the Kandahari faction as “isolationist, more religiously conservative and unmoved by international opinion”, while the Kabul group, although not very moderate, was described as “pragmatic and willing to engage internationally”.
Security analysts shared a similar assessment, elaborating that fundamental differences exist between these groups on key issues.
“The most notable of these appears to be a disagreement over the ban on anything above elementary school for girls and women,” said Jonathan Schroden, director at CNA, a nonprofit research and analysis organisation.
But he added that “the disagreements appear to at least also extend to the level of desired engagement with the international community, including recognition of the Taliban government, and the level of inclusion of non-Pashtuns in the governing structures”.
Mr Nabil claimed that while the Haqqani-led Kabul group gained power with the assistance of Pakistan’s intelligence chief Faiz Hamid, the Kandahar faction emphasises consolidating power in the south.
“The Kabul faction sought to maintain their power, attract international attention, and garner public support by adopting a softer tone and expressing moderate views. Conversely, the Kandahar-based group focused on issues related to power dynamics, wealth distribution, tribal tendencies and external dependencies, which significantly contribute to these divisions,” he said.
The growing rift, however, is unlikely to provide leverage to the international community anytime soon, experts noted.
“It’s notable that these disagreements appear to be over policy and not the general ideology of the Taliban, which means the threat of these disagreements to the group’s cohesion is generally overblown,” said Mr Schroden, who added that, for more than a decade, the Taliban prioritised their own cohesion during policy disputes.
“For the very reason that they are cognisant of attempts by external actors to divide and conquer them,” he said, pointing out that no Taliban leader has publicly questioned the role or authority of the ‘Amir Al Mu’minin’ – the Taliban’s supreme leader.
“Rather, public statements by the likes of Haqqani have been mostly suggestive of alternative policies or critical of the implementation of existing ones.”
Threat to Pakistan
The report, however, stated that while the cohesion of the Taliban could remain for a year or two, deepening cracks could eventually spell disaster for regional security.
“[UN] member states judged that Taliban unity is likely to prevail, some predicting for at least 12–24 months. States in the region were concerned about the risk of a return to civil war should current Taliban policies continue,” it noted.
In addition, the group’s continued alliances with regional and international terror groups amid political instability has revived their image as a security threat.
The report noted that the link between the Taliban and both Al Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan – its Pakistani branch – remains strong and symbiotic. The TTP have been accused of an escalating series of attacks on Pakistani security forces.
“A range of terrorist groups have greater freedom of manoeuvre under the Taliban de facto authorities. They are making good use of this, and the threat of terrorism is rising in both Afghanistan and the region,” it said.
Mr Schroden added: “While the Taliban are clearly monitoring the activities of these groups, so far, they’ve done little to rein them in.
“The Taliban act first and foremost in their own interest, and currently there’s no indication that their cost/benefit calculation has shifted toward taking notable action against these groups.”
Mr Nabil, however, also blamed the international community for complacency in dealing with the Taliban, which has allowed the group to consolidate power in regional terror networks.
“Since the inception of the Doha peace talks, they have wasted time in the hopes of reforming the Taliban or Taliban 2.0, only to ultimately surrender Afghanistan to their control … trying to engage with and provide political incentives to the Taliban.”
He said that when these efforts proved fruitless, the international community sought to separate the radical and moderate Taliban leaders.
“Both the international community and Taliban leaders have played a duplicitous game in this regard,” he said.
“Some Taliban leaders attempt to present themselves as moderate, while a number of countries are attempting to overlook the past of certain Taliban members and present them as 'reformed suicide bombers'.”
Meanwhile, Mr Nabil said the Taliban not only refused to retreat but also deepened their connections with terrorist organisations both within and beyond the region.
“This strategic alliance will have severe consequences for the country, the region, and the global community in the near future,” he warned.
Europe's top EV producers
- Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
- Iceland (33%)
- Netherlands (20%)
- Sweden (19%)
- Austria (14%)
- Germany (14%)
- Denmark (13%)
- Switzerland (13%)
- United Kingdom (12%)
- Luxembourg (10%)
Source: VCOe
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MO
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWest%20Asia%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Bahrain%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%201%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%202%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%20III%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDubai%20Sevens%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Denis%20Villeneuve%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Timothee%20Chamalet%2C%20Zendaya%2C%20Austin%20Butler%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
