May Allah Accept him, reads a tribute on a poster announcing the identity of ISIS' latest "martyr". Sporting a Pakol - the flattened cap more commonly associated with the tribes of Afghanistan and Pakistan than the once cosmopolitan cities of western Syria, a baby-faced jihadist with a steely gaze and an automatic rifle poses square to the camera.
But this is no rank and file fighter. This is the son of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, killed in battle in Syria, the poster claims.
Distributed via Telegram on July 3, the poster says Huzaifa Al Badri was killed in an operation in Syria's Homs province in an attack on a power plant held by the Syrian regime with the support of Russian forces. It claims Al Badri was killed fighting as an inghamasi, the name given to an operation wherein an insurgent fights until they can no longer fight – be that to the death, or to some miraculous victory.
One security source told The National, that the use of Al Badri in such an attack represents an effort to combat divisions that have surfaced within the group since its loss of Mosul and Raqqa last year. "It's likely a symbolic gesture to curb in-fighting from those who demand to see Al Baghdadi still alive and committed to the cause".
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Read more:
In post-ISIS Iraq, tribal justice grows in shadow of Baghdad mistrust
Donald Trump lauds capture of five top ISIS commanders
Al Nuri is about more than resurrecting a building. It will also rebuild an ideology and social cohesion
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Iraqi security analyst Hisham Al Hashemi noted on Twitter that Al Badri had last been seen in September 2017 in the town of Hajin in eastern Syria, with his father’s bodyguard Abdullatif Al Jabouri.
Hajin is one of the few areas of territory openly held by ISIS, and it remains at the heart of the military coalition's efforts to combat the group. Last month, some 45 members of the group were killed in an airstrike after gathering in the town for a meeting. It is one of the last places where the black flag flies openly.
Security officials suspect the group number is up to 800 in the largely abandoned town – likely outnumbering the remnants of the local population – an indicator of the group’s failed governance project. Hajin is no more a state than it is a backwater hideout.
But while the group has been rolled back and Al Baghdadi has seemingly vanished, there is evidence they are attempting to infiltrate other parts of Syria. As a western security source told The National, "there are growing numbers of ISIS still entering Idlib, and Suwayda in southern Syria – Suwayda was recently featured on the front of Al Naba [the group's newsletter], I can't recall it coming to the fore like this".
Little is known about the personal life of Al Baghdadi, or those close to him, but Mr Al Hashemi notes that Al Badri was born in 2000, in the Iraqi city of Samarra, to Asma Fawzi Al Qubaisi, the first of the caliph’s three wives.
The location of Al Badri’s martyrdom, in Syria’s government controlled west, might serve as something of a surprise to those following the efforts to hunt down Al Baghdadi. Hitherto, much of the hunt for the so-called caliph, who has a $25 million (Dh98.1 million) bounty on his head, has focused on the arid desert straddling the Syrian-Iraqi border. The long-standing assumption being that as the caliphate’s territory receded, deeper into it the caliph retreated.
Intelligence officials have confirmed Al Baghdadi was seriously injured in a coalition airstrike near the town of Shirqaat in Iraq in early 2015. Earlier this year, The Guardian reported that in 2016, as the battle for Mosul began, a slip-up in which he spoke on an unsecured radio line for 45 seconds saw him traced to a small village between Mosul and Tel Afar.
More recently there was a confirmed sighting on the Syrian side of the border in the town of Albu Kamal during Ramadan 2017.
His last public statement came in September 2017, in an audio recording released online. To this day, the only video footage of him remains his ascending the pulpit in Mosul’s Al Nuri mosque, the iconic video in which he bestowed on himself the title of caliph – days later the "Islamic state of Iraq and Syria" was officially announced.
Much of the group’s senior leadership have gone to ground, or been killed on the battlefield. But there has been limited success in hunting them down.
In March, five senior ISIS officials were lured across the border from Syria into Iraq in a daring operation by Iraqi and American intelligence services, they now await trial in Baghdad.
Dead or alive, the caliph continues to evade, perhaps his son’s death suggests the world has been looking in the wrong place.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
The biog
Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
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%3Cp%3EEtihad%20Airways%20operates%20seasonal%20flights%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20Nice%20C%C3%B4te%20d'Azur%20Airport.%20Services%20depart%20the%20UAE%20on%20Wednesdays%20and%20Sundays%20with%20outbound%20flights%20stopping%20briefly%20in%20Rome%2C%20return%20flights%20are%20non-stop.%20Fares%20start%20from%20Dh3%2C315%2C%20flights%20operate%20until%20September%2018%2C%202022.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20Radisson%20Blu%20Hotel%20Nice%20offers%20a%20western%20location%20right%20on%20Promenade%20des%20Anglais%20with%20rooms%20overlooking%20the%20Bay%20of%20Angels.%20Stays%20are%20priced%20from%20%E2%82%AC101%20(%24114)%2C%20including%20taxes.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Company%C2%A0profile
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PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Company%20Profile
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Company%20profile
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”