UNIPATH STAFF With the goal of becoming a peacekeeping power, Tajikistan participated for the first time in the Khaan Quest exercises in Mongolia in August 2013. The annual United Nations-sponsored peacekeeping exercise drew about 1,000 participants and observers from 13 nations. The country’s peacekeeping battalion, formed in 2010, sought out expertise that comes from attending Khaan Quest. Mongolia prides itself on being a top provider of peacekeeping troops to organizations such as the U.N. “Our battalion has only just been formed, and Tajikistan does not have the necessary experience,” Lt. Col. Tokhir Khairulloyev told Central Asia Online. “But we are…
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UNIPATH STAFF The Afghan Ministry of Interior has created a Community Policing Directorate — part of a larger plan to transform the Afghan National Police (ANP) from an agency dedicated to countering extremism to focusing on daily law enforcement and community policing. The new directorate is part of the ANP’s 10-year strategic plan developed in early 2013. Minister of Interior Mohammed Omer Daudzai said in a speech, “By 2024, the ANP will be smaller in number, higher in quality, professional, impartial, capable, and less dependent on international assistance. It should be enjoying public trust and participation with a primary focus…
YEMENI ARMED FORCES Yemeni armed forces continue to claim victories in stopping international arms smuggling, recently seizing a ship that was carrying weapons bound for the country’s interior, the Supreme Security Committee said in July 2013. The ship was intercepted entering Yemeni territorial waters near Zoqar Island in the Red Sea. The seized weapons were destined for the Yemeni interior after being unloaded on an island in the Hunish Archipelago. Had the shipment not been intercepted, the arms would have been transferred to small boats bound for the Yemeni coast. Security committee officials expressed gratitude for the Yemeni-Turkish security cooperation…
KUWAIT NEWS AGENCY Countries are showing increasing determination to unite their efforts to fight illegal drugs, said Kuwaiti Col. Mohammad Al-Hazeem, head of operations at the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry Drug Control Department. Al-Hazeem was speaking on the sidelines of the ninth International Forum on Drugs Issues, held in June 2013 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event was organized by the Dubai Police Force. Al-Hazeem said the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry is keen on taking part in all such events, stressing that the forum is an important meeting place for international bodies leading the fight against drugs. Participating organizations included the…
UNIPATH STAFF Its vast coastline and location near the economically vital Strait of Hormuz convinced the Sultanate of Oman of the need for maritime security. So in August 2013, Oman hosted officials from Combined Maritime Forces’ (CMF) counterpiracy arm, the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151). This international maritime coalition, commanded by Pakistan during the Oman visit, is dedicated to countering piracy to ensure free navigation in the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and Arabian Sea. The goal of the meetings was to improve cooperation and coordination among militaries involved in the counterpiracy fight. While not a formal member of…
UNIPATH STAFF Before 1997, the only special operations force in Lebanon was the Commando Regiment. During the reconstruction of the Lebanese Army, military commanders decided a maritime-focused special operations unit was critically needed. Today, the Lebanese Marine Commandos, also known as Navy SEALs, are an elite and highly trained organization versed in counterterrorism, advanced combat, close-quarter battle tactics, combat diving and underwater demolition. Their mission is to protect the country’s 225-kilometer coastline. Sources: Special Warfare magazine, www.shadowspear.com
REUTERS Saudi Arabia has created a new ministry to strengthen the National Guard’s role in the kingdom. In May 2013, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud named his son, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to head the National Guard Ministry. “With this ministry, Miteb will have a stronger role to play. It gives the National Guard more authority, better structure and a larger institutional budget,” said Abdulaziz al-Sager, head of the Gulf Research Center in Jeddah. The ministry was formed from the existing presidency of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, based in Riyadh. Beside its military duties,…
UNIPATH STAFF In a move that could help build stability in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is preparing to expand the capacity of its Aktau seaport. Enlarging the port will initially help support the International Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan’s drawdown, but could later serve as a transit hub on the New Silk Road, an effort to create trading links between Central Asia, Afghanistan and other regional partners. At a meeting with the Heart of Eurasia group in April 2013, President Nursultan Nazarbayev spoke about increasing the port’s transit capacity on the Caspian Sea. It is part of his country’s continuing effort to support…
UNIPATH STAFF Bahraini officials seized a boat attempting to smuggle explosives into the country in December 2013. The 9-meter-long vessel was stopped about 3.7 kilometers from Bahrain’s coast after authorities had tracked it for nearly 219 kilometers in the Arabian Gulf northeast of the country, public security chief Maj. Gen. Tareq al-Hasan said. Dozens of C-4 and TNT explosive devices were found on the boat, along with about 50 hand grenades and almost 300 detonators labeled “Made in Syria.” About the same time, security forces also uncovered a cache of explosives outside Manama, dismantled a car bomb and arrested 13…
ЙЕМЕНСКИЕ ВООРУЖЕННЫЕ СИЛЫ Йеменские вооруженные силы продолжают одерживать победы в борьбе за прекращение международной контрабанды оружия, захватив недавно судно, перевозившее оружие, предназначенное для внутренней части страны, было объявлено Верховным комитетом по безопасности в июле 2013 г. Судно было перехвачено при входе в территориальные воды Йемена возле острова Зокар в Красном море. Захваченное оружие предназначалось для внутренней части Йемена после разгрузки на острове в архипелаге Хуниш. Если бы судно не было перехвачено, оружие было бы перевезено на маленьких лодках на йеменский берег. Представители комитета по безопасности выразили признательность йеменско-турецкому сотрудничеству в области безопасности, приведшему к захвату судна. За последние два года…