The death of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi does little to mitigate the factors behind his rise and may even lead to more sophisticated versions of the militancy he espoused.
His killing could lessen ISIS’s global appeal but in Syria and Iraq, site of the group’s destroyed “caliphate”, Baghdadi’s following was due to ideology, and societal and political imbalances caused by poor governance and state-backed discrimination.
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that US troops killed the ISIS leader in a raid on a compound in the northern Syrian governorate of Idlib.
Idlib is largely controlled by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, a rebranded version of an Al Qaeda offshoot called Jabhat Al Nusra.
Al Qaeda also spawned ISIS as it changed into more localised versions after the US overran the group’s Afghanistan base in retaliation for the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Al Nusra capitalised on a violent Sunni backlash to the crackdown on the 2011 uprising against Assad family rule to attract recruits.
It and ISIS have been foes for years, competing over turf, resources and leadership of the ideological discourse.
But Baghdadi was killed in a sector of Idlib reportedly run by a “pragmatist” faction, indicating that former foes may have given him refuge.
This faction, led by Iraqi commander Abu Marya Al Qahtani, had not shied away from co-operation with ISIS, even though he argued for building support by winning over local communities rather than relying on brute force.
Al Qahtani warned that ISIS’s inclusion of former Saddam henchmen and avoiding confrontation with the Syrian regime of President Bashar Al Assad was hurting the overall militant cause.
This suggests that any ISIS 2.0 could learn from its past.
Al Qaeda had given way in Iraq to a version led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, who had fewer qualms about promoting indiscriminate violence than the group’s original leaders.
Al Zarqawi sought to sabotage the Shiite political ascendency in Iraq, which many Sunnis believe took place at their expense and to the advantage of Iran after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, under whom the Shiite majority were repressed.
A US raid killed Al Zarqawi in central Iraq. Many Sunnis came to the conclusion that Al Qaeda’s excesses in Iraq were damaging their chances of survival, helping to form the US-backed Sunni brigades known as Al Sahwat that eventually defeated Al Zarqawi’s faction.
After US forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, the government moved against Al Sahwat and cracked down on a Sunni protest movement, which contributed to the emergence of ISIS.
ISIS captured Mosul in 2014 and invaded parts of Syria, focusing more on taking territory from rebels and from Kurdish militia that had overrun Arab tribal regions, than on fighting Mr Al Assad’s forces.
Mr Al Assad is from Syria’s Alawite minority, comprising 10 per cent of the country’s pre-2011 population.
Even so, his intelligence apparatus helped Sunni militants to cross into Iraq to fight US forces and the government there after 2003.
Early in the Syrian revolt in 2011, Mr Assad released the militants he had jailed under US pressure after they returned from Iraq. Many of them went on to become commanders in Al Nusra and ISIS.
They appealed to a rural Sunni base, taking on the mantle of dispossession and disenfranchisement similar to the one promoted by Hezbollah in Lebanon on behalf of its base, and by the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
Fawaz Tello, a Syrian opposition figure who now lives in exile in Germany, warned at the start of the revolt against Mr Al Assad that without international action to halt his crackdown, which was killing of thousands of Sunnis, militancy would find fertile ground.
"ISIS or whoever comes afterwards will always seek an ideological justification to its actions that might appeal to some," Mr Tello told The National.
"But at the end of the day, ISIS is a political problem. Its solution is to end the sectarian rule in Syria and the sectarian rule in Iraq – in other words, democracy.”
From the moment he appeared in the pulpit of a Mosul mosque in 2014, Al Baghdadi portrayed himself as fulfilling an ideology that dictates a caliphate.
He presented himself as the leader of all Muslims, even though the focus of his group had been the killing of Iraqi Shiites, civilians and combatants alike.
He used humble language to assure that ISIS’s rule would be just.
After the reign of terror that followed, there are few in Iraq and Syria who will mourn Baghdadi's demise.
But their grievances are as present as the day he climbed that pulpit in Mosul.
The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.
Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000, 2,400m
Winner: Recordman, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000, 2,200m
Winner: AF Taraha, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Dhafra, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000, 1,600m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Fernando Jara, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000, 1,600m
Winner: Optimizm, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
Scoreline
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 17
Jebel Ali Dragons 20
Harlequins Tries: Kinivilliame, Stevenson; Cons: Stevenson 2; Pen: Stevenson
Dragons Tries: Naisau, Fourie; Cons: Love 2; Pens: Love 2
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
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
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
