UNIPATH STAFF Recently appointed Kyrgyz Foreign Minster Ruslan Kazakbayev made Kazakhstan one of his first diplomatic stops, visiting the capital of Nur-Sultan in October 2020 to discuss economic, security and cultural issues. Kazakbayev reassured Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Prime Minister Askar Mamim and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi that Kyrgyzstan, despite a change of government in mid-2020, would adhere to the spirit of the regional cooperation and strategic partnership. Among the topics of discussion were trade and investment, transit and transport, water and energy, and containing the COVID-19 epidemic. Tleuberdi sought reassurances that Kyrgyzstan would prioritize law and order to protect…
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During a visit to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense in November 2020, His Majesty Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah vowed to upgrade his country’s Armed Forces by modernizing weapons and equipment. “We will not be skimpy nor lax in providing our military with modern weapons and vehicles and equipping it with whatever it needs to fulfill its duty to the fullest extent,” the emir said. “And we will continue to work on developing and updating training and preparedness for its personnel in all branches.” In the decades before ascending to the throne, Sheikh Nawaf held…
UNIPATH STAFF Sixty young Bahraini men and women participated in an innovative two-week training program designed to promote national security. Organized by the Southern governorate of Bahrain in September and October 2020, lecturers came from several security departments, including the Royal Academy of Police, General Administration for Combating Corruption, Economic and Cyber Security Administration, and Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science Administration. The program — held virtually to avoid any spread of COVID-19 — raised awareness among young people on issues of security and safety. Participants ranged in age from 15 to 25, and 60% were female. At the end…
UNIPATH STAFF In a massive operation in the fall of 2020, Iraqi security forces captured 115 Daesh fighters, including terrorist leaders, and dismantled a terrorist network in Ninawa governorate. These efforts came after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi and Director of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi pledged to enhance security throughout the country. Daesh affiliates have stepped up attacks on civilian and military targets in governorates the terrorist group lost to the Iraqi forces and the international coalition forces in August 2017. According to a former security official in Mosul, in August and September 2020, Daesh remnants…
UNIPATH STAFF The General Department of Anti-Narcotics in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) thwarted a plot to smuggle 8 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and a kilogram of cannabis into the country in September, one of dozens of such counternarcotics operations throughout 2020. “Reliable information was received from Dubai customs police that two men residing in a neighboring country came to a Dubai port by a dhow to deliver a quantity of drugs to a compatriot residing in the Emirate of Dubai,” Department Director Brig. Gen. Eid Muhammad Thani Hareb said. An undercover agent, who infiltrated the smuggling gang, received the…
UNIPATH STAFF President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan hosted U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie in October 2020 to discuss military cooperation and the peace process in Afghanistan. Of particular concern was Uzbekistan’s desire to help its neighbor integrate economically into the countries of Central Asia. Uzbek investments in Afghanistan include a railroad spur, power transmission lines and a proposed natural gas pipeline. Gen. McKenzie highlighted a U.S. commitment to a strategic partnership with Uzbekistan. McKenzie’s delegation reiterated that point during a visit to the Ministry of Defense in Tashkent. Uzbek Minister of Defense Maj. Gen. Bakhodir Kurbanov exchanged views…
UNIPATH STAFF After 17 years of drilling with U.S. and British forces during regular Steppe Eagle peacekeeping exercises, Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces flew solo in October 2020 by organizing the country’s first comprehensive peacekeeping exercise. More than 1,000 troops took part in drills attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He observed troops performing missions in the field, but also toured classrooms that prepared peacekeepers in engineering, linguistics and medicine. Though intended to prepare troops mostly for service outside Kazakhstan’s borders, such training proved useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Soldiers helped enforce quarantines and deliver aid. “Military officers have been on…
LT. COL. QUENTIN MCCART, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT DIVISION, THIRD ARMY/U.S. ARMY CENTRAL Unable to gather in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic, intelligence officers from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States joined forces at a Virtual Land Forces Intelligence Conference in October 2020. The three-hour online conference was hosted by Col. John Chu, head of military intelligence for Third Army/U.S. Army Central (USARCENT), and drew additional participation from Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The COVID outbreak forced the cancellation of the Third Army’s annual Regional Land Forces…
I would like to extend my thanks to our friends at U.S. Central Command for their kind invitation to introduce this edition of the esteemed Unipath magazine, which includes stories about counterterrorism and expanding security in liberated areas. This edition also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Unipath, which has kept pace with events of the region and played a distinguished role in highlighting the impressive victories of our Armed Forces. I would like to extend thanks and praise to members of the Directorate of Media and Moral Guidance within the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. They announced news of victory to…
Afghan National Security Forces require training and financial support from multinational partners AHMAD MURID PARTAW, FORMER AFGHAN SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE TO U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND Building Afghan forces that can provide for their own security has been a priority for the United States during the last two decades of its involvement in Afghanistan. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are composed of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP). They represent the critical pillars for establishing security and stability in the country. When the Army was established in 2001, the goal was to build and develop a force to…