The drone killing of the Pakistan Taliban leader who ordered Malala Yousafzai's death is set to plunge the group into a bitter leadership struggle that could prompt defections to ISIS, security experts have said.
The apparent death of Mullah Fazlullah after nearly five years at the head of the militant movement comes as his group has already fractured and taken refuge in Afghanistan from the Pakistan military offensives.
While the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) movement itself has not confirmed the death late last week in an American strike in the remote Afghan province of Kunar, both Kabul and Islamabad have hailed his killing as significant.
A protracted leadership dispute and infighting could now see frustrated militants switch allegiance to the local ISIS franchise, also known as Daesh, analysts said.
“It will be a big blow for the organisation and it will take time to recover,” said Muhammad Amir Rana, director of Pakistan's Institute for Peace Studies think tank.
“The TTP are already divided along tribal lines and this is a major challenge that they faced. It will be frustrating for many. Maybe the benefit will go to Daesh, the frustrated militants could join Daesh.”
ISIS has established a stubborn foothold inside Afghanistan, carrying out a series of suicide attacks that have persisted even as the group's self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria has crumbled.
On Saturday, it underlined its rejection of peace efforts in Afghanistan by car bombing a ceasefire meeting in Nangarhar province. The attack killed at least 26, marring what had been an otherwise historic truce in which Taliban fighters and Afghan police were photographed exchanging hugs and greetings.
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Read more:
Drone death of Pakistan Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah 'significant'
Afghan president extends ceasefire as Taliban respects truce
Malala Yousafzai returns to her hometown in Pakistan for the first time since assassination attempt
_______________
ISIS has also established a growing reach inside Pakistan by recruiting militants and carrying out attacks against religious minorities, although the authorities deny it has a strong presence in the country.
From the inception of ISIS in the region, members of the TTP have switched allegiance to ISIS’s self-styled caliph, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. Fazlullah's death now risks adding to that.
Imtiaz Gul, head of Islamabad's Centre for Research and Security Studies think tank, said the Pakistan Taliban had already started to fragment and now faced an “intense war of succession”.
The prospect of frustrated fighters drifting to ISIS was “a possibility that is very much there”.
Fazlullah built a following with charismatic radio diatribes against the Pakistan government, polio vaccination programmes and girls' education. He ordered the assassination of schoolgirl Malala in 2012 after she wrote a blog speaking out against the Taliban. She survived the assassination attempt and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
He was always a controversial choice for TTP leader, however. The group's first two emirs were from the Mehsud tribe of South Waziristan, while Fazlullah hailed from the Swat valley. His appointment in November 2013 sparked a split which the group has yet to fully recover from.
“Islamic State has grown by capitalising on disputes among existing militants,” said one western diplomatic source. “When militants fall out with local leaders, or there are schisms, they have sworn allegiance to Baghdadi.”
Fazlullah's apparent death also comes at a time when the TTP has been put on the back foot and forced to take refuge in Afghanistan. A series of offensives by the Pakistan military after the TTP's attack on an army school in Peshawar have pushed the militants over the border into an area already seen as an ISIS stronghold.
The American role in the death of Pakistan's most wanted man also highlights that relations between Islamabad and Washington are not as bad as feared.
The United States put out a US$5 million (Dh18.36m) bounty for information on Fazlullah's head earlier his year – even as Pakistan was fuming that President Donald Trump had accused the country of lies and deceit during his first tweet of 2018.
Mr Trump's Twitter accusation and his subsequent halting of $900 million of security aid caused an outcry in Pakistan.
Fazlullah's killing showed that in the background, close counter-terrorism co-operation had not been affected, analysts said
“This operation underscores the ongoing operational level co-operation between the two sides,” Mr Gul said.
“They appear to be taking care of each other's concerns.”
“Whatever the tone of the relationship between Washington and Islamabad the cooperation between them continues,” Mr Rana said.
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
TEAMS
US Team
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler
Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman*, Phil Mickelson*
International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel
Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim
Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin
Emiliano Grillo*, Anirban Lahiri*
* denotes captain's picks
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
Results:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 2,410m | Winner: Bin Battuta, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer)
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Al Hayette, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m | Winner: Faatinah, Jim Crowley, David Hayes
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m | Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m | Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Another Batt, Connor Beasley, George Scott
A German university was a good fit for the family budget
Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600
Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between £200-600
The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually
Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated
As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640
Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month
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:
Andor
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tony%20Gilroy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDiego%20Luna%2C%20Genevieve%20O'Reilly%2C%20Alex%20Ferns%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%205%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Iron%20Claw
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sean%20Durkin%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zac%20Efron%2C%20Jeremy%20Allen%20White%2C%20Harris%20Dickinson%2C%20Maura%20Tierney%2C%20Holt%20McCallany%2C%20Lily%20James%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ASSASSIN'S%20CREED%20MIRAGE
%3Cp%3E%0DDeveloper%3A%20Ubisoft%20Bordeaux%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Ubisoft%0D%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20Series%20S%26amp%3BX%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A