UNIPATH STAFF During ongoing operations to eliminate Daesh remnants, Iraqi security forces seized weapons and explosives the terrorists intended to use on Iraqi citizens. Iraqi forces captured 75 anti-aircraft missiles in Al Anbar governorate that Daesh planned to convert to improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. The operation in early 2021 resulted in the arrest of a wanted terrorist nicknamed Abu Al-Yemaan, a member of what Daesh called its Raptors Division. In an earlier military action a month earlier, members of the Iraqi National Security Agency killed Daesh’s logistical officer in Diyala governorate. He had been resisting capture while wearing…
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UNIPATH STAFF After focusing for years on training peacekeeping troops for overseas missions — including the Steppe Eagle exercise with the United States — Kazakhstan aims to increase participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions. In November 2020, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed his Defense Ministry to prepare a “road map” in 2021 by which Kazakhstan can expand its role in multinational peacekeeping forces. President Tokayev’s decision comes as his troops have accumulated years of overseas experience. Since 2007, dozens of Kazakh military personnel have joined peacekeeping missions in Nepal, Côte d’Ivoire, Western Sahara and Lebanon. Most prominently, Kazakhstan has provided…
UNIPATH STAFF In a celebration attended by Commander of Royal Saudi Naval Forces Vice Adm. Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily, His Majesty’s Ship Al-Dariyah was launched into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Al-Dariyah is the second of five naval corvettes built by Spanish ship-maker Navantia as part of a Saudi naval upgrade called Project Sarawat. The ship is 99 meters long, displaces 2,470 tons and accommodates up to 111 Sailors. Al-Ghofaily noted that the Project Sarawat will raise the combat capabilities of the Royal Saudi Navy to enhance maritime security in the region. It will use the corvettes mainly for…
UNIPATH STAFF Broadening its deployments to include the Red and Mediterranean seas, the Pakistan Navy guided missile frigate PNS Zulfiquar called on the Jordanian Port of Aqaba in late 2020. The warship’s visit was meant to emphasize the Pakistan Navy’s contribution to regional peace and maritime security. It has been a steadfast participant in U.S.-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) based in Bahrain. Among the ship’s previous missions were counterpiracy operations near Somalia as part of Combined Task Force 151 and drug smuggling interdictions in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea as part of Combined Task Force 150. The task…
UNIPATH STAFF As part of the continued cooperation between security forces and civil institutions in Jordan, the Public Security Directorate and the University of Jordan signed an agreement in January 2021 to protect the environment, sustain agriculture and support tourism. The signing ceremony was attended by Assistant Director of Public Security for Administration and Logistical Support Brig. Gen. Dr. Mutasim Abu Shatal, University of Jordan President Dr. Abdel-Karim Al-Qudah, Director of the Royal Department for Environmental Protection and Tourism Brig. Gen. Nahed Al-Muqaddah, many public security officers and the university staff and faculty. The Public Security Directorate seeks to expand…
UNIPATH STAFF The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has added 100 British-made armored cars to its defensive arsenal, equipment that will boost the capabilities of troops guarding the border with Syria. Called the Land Rover RWMIK, the armored cars host three-men crews and mount either a machine gun or grenade launcher. They provide maneuverability, firepower and a relatively low profile to support reconnaissance, convoy and fire support missions. LAF plans to use the cars to pursue terrorists, smugglers and other criminals that regularly attempt to cross the border. “It’s a great practical example of the friendship and collaboration between the armed…
UNIPATH STAFF Kuwaiti security forces disrupted a major terrorist attack planned for New Year’s Eve that targeted places of worship and commercial complexes. The authorities identified an Iraqi Daesh recruiter and intercepted his communication with the main Kuwaiti suspect in the case: the 16-year old son of a former Kuwaiti parliamentarian who had recruited five other minors. Daesh gradually radicalized the teen over social media for two months, investigators said. The recruiter promised the boy money and munitions to carry out the attack in Kuwait. If the attack succeeded, Daesh would smuggle the would-be perpetrator into Iraq. When the recruiter…
UNIPATH STAFF Ahmed bin Mohammed Military College in Doha, Qatar, graduated 158 officer cadets in January 2021 in a ceremony attended by high-ranking officers from Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Pakistan, as well as Qatar. “Today a new generation of officers follows in the footsteps of their predecessors to form an impregnable wall for this country, a generation that can meet the political developments and regional challenges, a generation that realizes the ambitions of this country and its leaders,” said Brig. Gen. Abdulhadi Muhammad Treheeb Al-Hajiri, commander of the military college. The graduation ceremony was held under the patronage of Deputy…
Capt. Sheikh Mubarak Ali Al Sabah, Flotilla Commander, Kuwait Coast Guard When I assumed command of Combined Task Force 152 (CTF 152) in February 2019, little did I know that my tenure would be among the most momentous in the history of the multinational naval coalition. As a Kuwait Coast Guard officer, I was proud to represent my country in defending the Arabian Gulf from terrorists, criminals and other malign actors. CTF 152 — part of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) based in Bahrain — consists of some of the world’s best naval staff, ships and maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Thorough preparation…
By Moammar Al-Eryani, Yemeni Minister Of Information, Culture And Tourism At the end of each academic year, the Iranian-backed Houthi militia establishes thousands of what it calls “summer centers” in the occupied capital of Sanaa and other Yemeni governorates under its control. They use these centers to lure children under the age of 18 from their homes and classrooms, forcibly recruit them and mercilessly commit them to certain death on various battlefronts. In 2021, a Houthi leader announced the enrollment of 620,000 children in those centers under the supervision of Iranian Quds Force officer Hassan Irlu (who appears on lists…