A decade ago, then US president Barack Obama stood in front of a White House lectern to deliver arguably the most symbolic victory of his presidency. A small team of Navy Seals had killed Al Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden, who was hiding in Pakistan. Speaking to the 56 million Americans who tuned into the address, and millions more in watching from abroad, Mr Obama said the assassination was the moment that justice was won for bin Laden's many victims.
Ten years of painful work was wrapped up in this singular success. But the victory, in retrospect, was incomplete: the battle against Al Qaeda as an organisation and the wider fight against terrorism were going nowhere.
Today, bin Laden's organisation is a weaker version of what it once was. The group still maintains a foothold in Pakistan where its current leader, Ayman Al Zawahiri, is thought to be based, although whether or not he is still alive remains a matter of debate. In 2019, Hamza bin Laden, Osama's son and a strong candidate to succeed him, was killed. And Al Qaeda now competes with a new generation of militants. Gone are the days when bin Laden was the figurehead of Islamist terrorism. Today, groups such as ISIS, Al Shabab and Boko Haram compete for global attention.
It is entirely possible that Al Qaeda could come back to Afghanistan
But Al Qaeda is still a threat. Various offshoots are reported around the world, many of which flourish in the struggling states of the Middle East. In Yemen, Al Qaeda has recently claimed a spate of attacks. After President Biden's decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, many fear that the group could see a resurgence there. At ongoing peace talks overseen by the US, the Taliban claims it will not shelter Al Qaeda again. But with Washington's apparent desire to leave the country as quickly as it can and the Taliban's record for breaking promises, it is entirely possible that, 20 years after the US campaign to rid the country of the group, Al Qaeda could establish a permanent foothold there. America's generals admit that Afghanistan could be plunged into civil war civil war after the withdrawal, and the vacuum created in such circumstances would give Al Qaeda ample opportunity.
Editorials from The National
As Mr Obama said a decade ago, individual victories do not change the fact that rooting out terrorism and its causes is far harder. Years on, doing so remains a noble objective of the many countries around the world that stand against militancy. At a major speech last Friday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin called for a "new vision" for his country's defence strategy, one that integrates America's military power alongside diplomacy. Mr Austin spent more than 40 years in his country's army. In his address, he noted that most of the past two decades saw him serve in "the last of the old wars". Twenty years on from 9/11, he needs to bring a new fight to terrorists, if past conflicts are to mean anything.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Samau Xmnsor, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Ottoman, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Sharkh, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Yaraa, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Maaly Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Jinjal, Fabrice Veron, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Al Sail, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
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First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
ENGLAND SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT
2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals
2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals
2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
if you go
The flights
Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.
The trip
Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)