The French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, right, with the Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Lt Gen Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, in Abu Dhabi. French planes carried out their first reconnaissance flights over Iraq in support of the US-led campaign against ISIL. AFP
The French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, right, with the Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Lt Gen Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, in Abu Dhabi. French planes carried out their first reconnaissance flights over Iraq in support of the US-led campaign against ISIL. AFP
The French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, right, with the Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Lt Gen Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, in Abu Dhabi. French planes carried out their first reconnaissance flights over Iraq in support of the US-led campaign against ISIL. AFP
The French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, right, with the Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Lt Gen Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, in Abu Dhabi. French planes carried out their first rec

Attack on ISIL is first step in a longer battle


  • English
  • Arabic

Air strikes have begun against the militant group. But more than a military solution will be needed

After much talk, the battle has begun.The United States and its Arab ­allies – a Pentagon statement said five Arab countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – launched air strikes against ISIL in Syria on Monday night. Most strikes ­appeared to target the militant group’s stronghold of Raqqa in north-eastern Syria, but there were also reports that the US had struck as far south as Deir Ezzour and as far west as Aleppo.

The drama of the event – the exhilarated language of analysts and the dramatic news footage of fighter jets taking off – should not mask either the seriousness of the endeavour or its consequences. There will be casualties among ordinary Syrians; such fatalities are almost unavoidable with ISIL embedded in civilian areas. It is as important to feel sympathy for those caught in the middle of this war as it is to feel revulsion for those who forced it upon the region.

And it is, when all is said and done, a regional war. The US has made much play of its Arab allies. It was, after all, the Arab world that was calling for something to be done about the Syrian civil war and then the growth of ISIL – and it was the US that was hesitant to act. So this is not a war imposed by the West; rather it is a war imposed by ISIL.

The importance of Arab allies should not be underestimated. For reasons of logistics and intelligence, allies such as Jordan are vital. But there are also other reasons, almost as critical, of perception.

The first is that, from the perspective of western publics, it is important that the Arab world be seen to do its part. But more vital is the perception in the wider Arab and Muslim worlds. When Saudi Arabia – whose ruler King Abdullah is, after all, the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam – is seen to be part of the coalition, it reveals the ludicrous claim of the thugs of ISIL that they are a caliphate for what it is.

The perversion of ideology and religion that ISIL represents poses a real danger to the region. It is not an ideology that will easily be defeated. Air strikes are a first step – and, for all the pain and suffering it will bring, an essential one – but it is not the end.

Air strikes can only degrade ISIL, not destroy it. Beyond air strikes, beyond even other military power, the only solution will be political and intellectual. Political because it is only by keeping Iraq together, and repairing Syria, that the region will be made whole. Intellectual, because the cancer of ISIL’s thinking must be tackled by ideas. But for now, the first step towards removing this mutant caliphate has begun.

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15

Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered

UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered

Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered

Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered

Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered

Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Pari

Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment

Director: Prosit Roy

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani

Three stars

THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Racecard
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Day 2, stumps

Pakistan 482

Australia 30/0 (13 ov)

Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings

Company%C2%A0profile
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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPyppl%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEstablished%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAntti%20Arponen%20and%20Phil%20Reynolds%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20financial%20services%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2418.5%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20150%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20series%20A%2C%20closed%20in%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20venture%20capital%20companies%2C%20international%20funds%2C%20family%20offices%2C%20high-net-worth%20individuals%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

The specs: Fenyr SuperSport

Price, base: Dh5.1 million

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm

Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km

Profile of VoucherSkout

Date of launch: November 2016

Founder: David Tobias

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers

Sector: Technology

Size: 18 employees

Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake

Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars” 

Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures

Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)

Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy

Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy

Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy

Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia

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Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now