Afghanistan's first vice president escaped unharmed from an ISIS-claimed suicide bomb blast near Kabul airport as he returned home on Sunday after living in exile for more than a year
Former Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum narrowly escaped the suicide bomb attack after returning to the country from the cold after facing allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival.
The bomber detonated his suicide jacket at a celebration held to receive the vice president, the militant group said in its claim of responsibility issued through its self-styled news agency, Amaq. It gave no further details.
Mr Dostum's charter plane landed in Kabul late Sunday afternoon, where he was received by several Afghan officials, including Second Vice President Sarwar Danish, and a massive crowd of supporters in and around the airport.
Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said that 14 people, including both civilians and military forces, were killed in the attack and 50 others wounded. The victims included an AFP news agency employee. This is the second AFP employee to have been killed in an attack in Kabul this year.
An eyewitness, an official close to Gen Dostum who was at the airport to receive the vice president, described seeing several bodies on the street outside the airport and said that the explosion had ruined the spirit of the day.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack in a statement issued by the presidential palace.
Mr Dostum faced outrage from Western donor countries including the United States after reports surfaced in 2016 that his guards had seized Ahmad Ishchi and subjected him to beatings, torture and violent sexual abuse. Mr Dostum left Afghanistan in 2017 after the attorney-general's office launched an investigation into the allegations.
He denied Mr Ishchi's accusations but, amid international demands that he be held accountable, Mr Dostum he left the country in May last year, ostensibly to seek medical treatment in Turkey.
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Read more:
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Afghan crisis: ISIS bomber kills 20 while Taliban slaughter nine police
ISIS targets Taliban in fight for Afghanistan
Watch: Sightline with Tim Marshall: On America's longest war
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The former warlord has since reportedly been barred by the government from returning to Afghanistan. It was not immediately clear whether Dostum will now face any charges.
Despite the explosion and the cloud hanging over Mr Dostum, a large crowd of his supporters had gathered at Sedarat Palace — the vice president’s office — in Kabul to participate in a welcome ceremony. Among them was Humaira Mohammadi, a female Junbish party member from Baghlan province, who travelled to Kabul to welcome Get Dostum.
“I cannot express my happiness in words. We are delighted that our leader is back to our homeland,” she told The National.
While the controversial vice president left Kabul on pretext of seeking medical attentions, officials close to him confirmed that his return to Afghanistan was prevented over the past year. But following the recent protests in the north against the arrest of a strongman — Nizamuddin Qaisari — a figure close to Gen Dostum, the Afghan government was forced to negotiate his return.
The allegations of torture and abuse against Mr Dostum and his men are still to be tackled. However, for many of his supporters, the general is seen as a victim of politics.
“The case was plot against our leader. The government knows he’s innocent,” Mohammad Nasim Rahmani, the deputy of Junbish party in Faryab province, the party’s stronghold and the centre of the recent protests, declared with strong conviction in his voice. Ms Mohammadi agreed with equal certainty: “This is not a legal case. It is political. Long before this case, there was a plan to attack Gen Dostum in Ghormach district of Faryab.”
Many of his supporters see his return as a personal victory. “We are very excited to our leader return. This is one of the demands we have raised in our protests in the last 20 days and this is the result of our demonstrations ,” said Mr Rahmani.
During the very first public address in over a year, the former warlord urged his supporters to end the protests and allow the reopening of the northern trade routes that had been closed over the last two weeks.
Hundreds of the Junbish party followers, many of whom travelled from northern provinces to welcome him, cheered as he promised to talk to the Afghan president and address the matter of Mr Qaisari’s arrest.
Mr Dostum will resume his position as the country’s vice president and is expected to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday. He will discuss a range of issues such as the Faryab protests, Mr Qaiseri’s arrest and the mishandling of his guards. Atta Noor, the former governor of Balkh, also attended the welcome ceremony and mentioned the formation of a new political coalition in Afghanistan during his speech.
Mr Rahmani, who participated in the protests in Faryab, confirmed to The National that they would oblige the demand of their figurehead and end the protests in the north.
“We will follow our leader’s commands from here on,” he said.
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Poacher
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
More coverage from the Future Forum
South Africa squad
Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Company%20profile
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War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
