When the threat of ISIL is eventually neutralised, those who deserve credit will include far more than just those clad in military fatigues. The nature of modern warfare – and particularly against militant extremist groups such as ISIL – requires not just military might but also cutting off sources of funding.
Those clad in officewear also serve on the front line of the war against terror through the parallel campaign to choke ISIL's sources of funding. As The National reported yesterday, these two fronts combined when coalition warplanes bombed oil facilities the group controls to reduce its sources of income. The fact that the Assad regime is often the buyer of oil from ISIL, as columnist Hassan Hassan noted, serves as yet more proof that the regime actively facilitated the rise of militant groups in the civil war.
This approach recognises that one of ISIL’s strengths – a reported force of 30,000 fighters at its disposal – is also a strategic weakness. Such a force requires a huge and sophisticated support system to be functional, both in terms of money and resources. Although ISIL has taken over Iraqi army bases in Mosul and elsewhere, the reality is it cannot survive purely on plundered munitions. It also needs significant sums of money.
With an influx of fighters attracted by its success, ISIL is certain to be experiencing growing pains because of an excess of jihadis and a deficit of those capable of keeping them supplied with everything they need. Some analysts, such as Hussein Ibish in these pages yesterday, have expressed their belief that the group has already over-reached itself.
The second front in the fight against ISIL is designed to exploit this vulnerability. Besides destroying the group’s ability to generate money from oil production, attempts to cut off donations to it are also beginning to pay dividends. This includes Kuwait’s newly-created financial intelligence unit and enforcement of Qatar’s new law regulating charitable contributions to ensure none is channelling funds that will eventually swell ISIL’s coffers.
The US-led coalition that formed to fight ISIL was repeatedly advised that its mission could not succeed through air strikes alone. That is true, but the gains that can be reaped by cutting off the group’s funding is an important factor entirely separate to questions about the need for boots on the ground but equally important to destroying the group’s capability.
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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.
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
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How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
