UNIPATH STAFF Working together to solve a regional security issue, the armed forces of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan held a counterterrorism exercise called Commonwealth 2020 in March 2020. During the four-day exercise at Fakhrobod training grounds in southern Tajikistan, Uzbek Minister of Defense Bakhodir Kurbanov and Tajik Minister of Defense Sherali Mirzo expressed satisfaction at the joint display of combat effectiveness. Participants eliminated a hypothetical terrorist group, conducted a hostage-rescue operation, and repelled a simulated attack by illegal gangs at the Tajik-Uzbek border. Border guard units and the Tajik Air Force played a supporting role. This was the third major anti-terrorist…
Unipath
UNIPATH STAFF They are unknown Soldiers, engaged in a war no less devastating than traditional wars, employing the same methods and approaches, tracking enemy activities and collecting information to foil adversaries’ plots to kill innocent people. These untraditional Soldiers are members of Jordan’s Anti-Narcotics Department (AND). They are fighting an enemy that kills slowly using the soft weapons of illegal narcotics. In simultaneous operations conducted in June 2020, the department arrested 26 suspected drug dealers in the region of Amman and Zarqa. “The employees of AND are exerting great efforts around the clock to track down and pursue drug dealers…
UNIPATH STAFF Kyrgyzstan has enlisted the help of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to strike a balance between reintegrating ex-foreign fighters and ensuring these one-time terrorist sympathizers don’t undermine Kyrgyz security. Kyrgyz Justice Minister Marat Jamankulov and U.N. representatives met in June 2020 to discuss how the country can rehabilitate militants returning from conflict zones. Jamankulov has assigned implementation of the repatriation plan to the country’s State Penitentiary Service and Ministry of Justice. Speaking at the meeting, Jamankulov expressed hopes that Kyrgyzstan would develop a system combining oversight by probation officers with rehabilitation led by social workers.…
UNIPATH STAFF The fighter squadron’s roar broke the silence over the North Sea, leaving vapor trails that drifted away on a pleasant breeze of early summer. Qatari pilots sat behind the controls of Eurofighter Typhoons, advanced fighter jets that Doha is purchasing for $6.3 billion. In preparation for delivery of the 24 fighters in 2022, British Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots from an air base in Coningsby, England, taught their Qatari counterparts how to fly the jet. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, multirole fighter manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. The flags of Qatar and…
UNIPATH STAFF To implement Vision 2030 put forward by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has sought to localize military procurements and reduce reliance on foreign partners to equip its forces. The country envisions sourcing half its armaments from domestic companies. The United Arab Emirates has also focused on locally sourcing its weaponry. In the case of Saudi Arabia, that goal could prove to be ambitious: As of 2018 the Saudi had procured only 2% of its military equipment from domestic sources. The Saudi General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) and the state-owned holding company,…
UNIPATH STAFF Uzbekistan expressed support for reintegrating Afghanistan into the economies of Central Asia, an important component of long-term Afghan stability that would benefit the whole region. Addressing the topic of Afghan reconstruction, Uzbek Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov met in Tashkent with two U.S. officials engaged in Afghan affairs: Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and International Development Finance Corporation CEO Adam Boehler. The trio emphasized the expansion of ties among the three countries, particularly in light of a successful trilateral Uzbekistan-USA-Afghanistan meeting in May 2020. Boehler expressed appreciation for Uzbekistan’s leadership in regional economic development, including…
UNIPATH STAFF The Kuwaiti Ministry of Trade and Industry shut down 11 companies in early 2020, accusing them of violating the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law No. 106 of 2013. Five of the companies were money-exchange businesses; another three operated in real estate and another three in jewelry. The Kuwaiti government accused them of flouting anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations, dealing in large amounts of cash (in excess of 3,000 Kuwaiti dinars), and failing to train employees to recognize and report financial crimes. In a statement released in May 2020, the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) reiterated its…
UNIPATH STAFF In violation of United Nations arms embargo, Iran continued to engage in destabilization campaigns against Yemen by fueling the ongoing civil war with arms and training for the Houthi rebels. During a joint press conference in Riyadh between Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and then-U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook in June 2020, Al-Jubeir urged the international community to extend the embargo and demanded that Iran be prevented from exporting weapons and supporting terrorism. Since the war began, Houthi militia have conducted 1,659 attacks on civilians in Saudi Arabia and launched 318 ballistic missiles and…
UNIPATH STAFF Egyptian fighter jets and helicopters simulated attacks against a hypothetical enemy over land and sea in the western region of Egypt in July 2020 during the Hasm 2020 military exercise. Units from Egypt’s Navy, Air Defense Forces and Special Forces participated in the drills near the city of the Sidi Barrani, which lies on the Mediterranean Sea less than 100 kilometers from the Libyan border. Accompanied by commanders of the Armed Forces, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited the training site to offer support for securing the country from spillover from the civil war in Libya. “Whoever thinks…
UNIPATH STAFF Pakistan’s highest-ranked military commander threw his support behind the Afghan peace process during a visit to Kabul in June 2020. Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa discussed the need for a political solution between the Afghan government and the Taliban opposition. He also sought an agreement leading to the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. The journey to Kabul included meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, U.S. Army Gen. John Nicolson and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah. Gen. Bajwa congratulated Afghan leaders on “recent peace…