ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE Tajik law enforcement officers studied the intricacies of crime scene examination and forensic recovery during five days of training in May 2015 at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) office in Tajikistan. The training provided theoretical and practical training sessions using international best practices. It brought together 33 representatives working in crime scene management, crime scene examination and forensic evidential recovery from the Ministry of Interior Affairs, General Prosecutor’s Office and State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan from Dushanbe and other regions. Peter Hajnik, counterterrorism and police issues adviser…
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SGT. LEON COOK/U.S. ARMY CENTRAL Senior noncommissioned officers and officers from Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan exchanged perspectives in May 2015 at the first Multinational Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Symposium in El Paso, Texas, at the home of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA). Command Sgt. Maj. Ronnie Kelley, the command sergeant major for U.S. Army Central, led the symposium, which aimed to strengthen relationships and improve interoperability among partner nations. He said the goal of the symposium, hosted by the U.S., was to offer countries a chance to collaborate with each other…
UNIPATH STAFF New deradicalization centers in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas will help former extremists reintegrate into society. In March 2015, Gov. Sardar Mahtab Ahmed Abbasi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inaugurated the three new centers located in Bara. Approximately 600 participants undergo psycho-social therapy and vocational training at the centers and others in Shah Kas and Akkakhel. They also receive a monthly stipend. The governor said deradicalization can help former extremists begin new lives. “These people will play a positive role in the development of their respective areas and would prove to be a role model for their societies,” he said. Gen.…
UNIPATH STAFF Religious leaders from 42 countries gathered in Kazakhstan in June 2015 to discuss their role in eliminating terrorism and building peace. Sheikh Dr. Kahlan Nabhan Al Kharusi, assistant grand mufti of Oman, asked those assembled to offer concrete strategies to help religious leaders end terrorist violence. “We have to be more ambitious and call for projects and plans and strategies to tackle problems like terrorism, to elevate these recommendations in these societies,” Al Kharusi told the Times of Oman. His comments were made during the fifth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in Astana. The goal…
UNIPATH STAFF Although Da’ish terrorists bombed a mosque in Kuwait to foment hatred, Kuwaitis and their friends around the world undermined that message of divisiveness by vowing to end such sectarian violence. The June 2015 attack on the Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque in Kuwait City left several dozen dead and hundreds injured. His Highness Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah called the terrorists responsible for the attack cowards and promised they would be captured and brought to justice. He reassured his countrymen that the attack would not undermine national unity. “We will cut the evil hand that interferes with our homeland’s security,”…
ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) Centre in Bishkek and the Anti-terrorism Centre of the State Committee on National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic (SCNS KR) conducted a five-day counterterrorism training course in 2015 focusing on the radicalization process that leads to terrorism and effective preventive measures. The course was held at the SCNS KR Bakaev Institute in Bishkek. Twenty law enforcement specialists from the Kyrgyz Ministry of Interior, Anti-Terrorism Centre of the State Committee on National Security, the Bakaev Institute, General Staff of the Armed Forces, Kyrgyz State Border…
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Jordan’s military unveiled a new phase of a border surveillance system in June 2015 that experts say provides an effective defense against infiltration attempts, including by Da’ish terrorists. The kingdom plays a high-profile role in the multinational military coalition against the terrorists, who are undermining security and stability in Iraq. These terrorists pose a potential threat to the security of Jordan and previously have attacked border points. The border security system includes radar and surveillance towers that enable Jordanian forces to spot suspected infiltrators several miles before they reach the border. With the completion of the second…
CAPT. JEFF M. NAGAN/U.S. AIR FORCE For the first time since the fall of the Taliban, Pohantoon-e-Hawayee, the Afghan Air Force Academy, graduated a class of 184 new officers in May 2015. Graduation came at the end of a year’s worth of study that included English language classes, aviation instruction and religious studies. “Be strong and be prepared,” Afghan Air Force Maj. Gen. Abdul Wahab Wardak, commanding general of the Afghan Air Force, told graduates. “You are the future of the Afghan Air Force. The people of Afghanistan are proud of you. Do not forget that you are here to…
SABAH AL-KHAZ’ALI/IRAQI MINISTRY OF DEFENSE Iraq’s Center for Military Values and Principles, a section of the University of Defense for Military Studies, organized a course on international humanitarian law for a number of officers in the Iraqi Armed Forces in 2015. Staff Brig. Gen. Khalid al-Bayyati, commander of the Center for Military Values and Principles, talked about the importance of this course. “In accordance with its commitment to international treaties and conventions, Iraq has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Committee of the Red Cross to promote the culture of international humanitarian law in Iraq, especially within the…
SOF school promotes professionalism, loyalty and tolerance Maj. Gen. Falah Hasan Kadhim Al-Mohamedawi, Director, Special Operations Academy The Iraqi Counter-terrorism Service invests in developing well-educated fighters who respect humanity, reject ethno-sectarian discrimination and pledge loyalty only to Iraq. Before thinking of weapons and technologies, we focus on building fighters’ capacity. It was for this reason that the Iraqi Special Operations Forces Academy was founded as a cornerstone institution to build professional forces capable of deterring security threats. The academy was established in 2009 and played a big role in standardizing all tactics and trainings of the Special Operations Forces. The academy consists…