KABUL // Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, named on Wednesday as the Afghan Taliban’s new leader, was a senior judge during the insurgent group’s five-year rule over Afghanistan and a close confidant of its founder Mullah Omar.
Believed to be in his fifties, he hails from Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar like both of his former bosses – Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed in a US drone strike on Saturday, and Omar, who died in 2013.
Akhundzada went on to become the group’s “chief justice” after a US-led invasion toppled the Taliban government in 2001.
He was one of Mansour’s deputies alongside Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the feared Haqqani network based out of eastern Afghanistan.
Several senior Taliban sources have said Mansour bequeathed Akhunzada the leadership in his will, though some observers have argued in the past that hereditary succession is against the Taliban’s ideology.
Akhundzada is not known for his prowess on the battlefield, having preferred a life of religious and legal study.
He is said to have issued many of the rulings on how Muslims should comply with the Taliban’s extreme interpretation of Islam, and adjudicated internal disputes.
“He is a religious scholar who was close to Mullah Omar, a close confidant and an adviser on religious issues who wrote fatwas, and was on the council of Ulema (Muslim scholars),” said Thomas Ruttig, a former diplomat and co-director of the Kabul-based Afghan Analysts Network.
A senior Taliban source familiar with proceedings at the Shura (council) which appointed Akhundzada said he was a unanimous choice, adding that the group’s rank and file looked to him as a “spiritual leader” who had taught thousands of students in both Pakistan and Afghanistan over 25 years.
According to Rahimullah Yousafzai, considered the region’s foremost expert on the Taliban, Akhundzada was in Pakistan during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan – unlike Omar and Mansour, who earned reputations as fighters as part of the US-backed mujaheddin.
But he returned to his homeland in time to attend the meeting in the town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar in 1994 at which Omar declared the birth of the Taliban movement, according to the senior militant source.
It is unclear whether Akhundzada will follow Mansour in shunning peace negotiations with the Afghan government, though analysts believe he will be more heavily reliant on his Shura than his predecessors.
“Akhundzada was chosen to avoid further conflict and consultation,” said Islamabad-based analyst Amir Rana.
Haqqani was meanwhile named his “senior deputy” while Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, the son of Mullah Omar, was once again passed over and named a simple “deputy”.
“[Akhundzada] will be a more symbolic leader than a functional leader,” said Mr Rana. “Maybe Haqqani will deal with the military side and Mullah Yaqoub will deal with the political affairs.
“I think he enjoys some moral supremacy among the Taliban ranks, and he is in a position to keep this consensus intact.”
The emergence last year of a splinter group led by Mullah Muhammad Rasool – as well as competition from ISIL and former allies-turned-enemies the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan – present a challenge to the Taliban’s dominance which would have been hard to imagine in the Omar era.
Akhundzada will have to walk a fine line between hawks calling for intensified attacks in the wake of their leader’s death, and more pragmatic elements seeking to negotiate a power-sharing arrangement with Kabul to end the conflict.
Mr Yousafzai projected a rocky road ahead for Akhundzada.
“I think some other sections were not consulted, there is no unification of the movement yet, and I don’t see how it can unify under Haibatullah [Akhundzada],” the analyst said.
* Agence France-Presse
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
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Rating: 5/5
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December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
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Rating: 3/5
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Sawt Assalam, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Foah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: RB Dixie Honor, Antonio Fresu, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard.