The Jordan Armed Forces opened the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Training City near Zarqa, paid for a with a generous donation by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). By naming the training city after the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Jordan also honored one of its top allies in the region. The purpose of the facility is to centralize training for every branch of the Jordan Armed Forces in one large complex. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein ibn Abdullah II of Jordan officially dedicated the complex in March…
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Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have agreed to broaden intelligence sharing designed to reduce smuggling, terrorist financing, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the spread of violent extremism. The agreement in April 2020 to share military intelligence deepens cooperation between two neighbors that have striven to improve bilateral relations over the past three years. The accord also provides for more joint exercises and exchange of military know-how. Military cooperation between the two countries began to develop after Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s state visit to Tajikistan in March 2018. The engagement resulted in several historic defense agreements: on the transit of military…
UNIPATH STAFF Arabian Gulf states conducted joint security drills in February 2020 meant to foil terrorist attacks, rescue hostages and deactivate bombs. The police-focused exercise — called Arab Gulf Security 2 — occurred over three weeks at the Dubai Police Academy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Special police units from the Emirates trained with their counterparts from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The goal of the exercise was to raise the level of readiness and standardize procedures among elite units within the interior ministries of Gulf Cooperation Council member states. Simulations allowed units to show off their skills:…
UNIPATH STAFF Stability and security were the major topics of April 2020 discussions between Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Amid talks about trade and security cooperation, Tokayev and Pompeo discussed joint action to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus in light of Kazakhstan’s long common border with China. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) outlined how it could help Kazakhstan fight the disease, in cooperation with the Kazakhstani Health Ministry, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization. USAID’s plans included opening laboratories for large-scale testing against…
Responding to the United Nations secretary-general’s request in March 2020 for a cease-fire to focus on COVID-19, U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths led separate talks with the warring parties in Yemen. The Saudi-led Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen answered the United Nations’ call and declared a unilateral cease-fire in Yemen in early April 2020. The breather allowed Yemenis to mobilize their assets to combat COVID-19 and prepare talks with the Houthi rebels to end the conflict in Yemen. A Saudi official announced that the two-week cease-fire “may be extended if the Houthis respond positively,” but stressed…
UNIPATH STAFF Bahraini security forces — both military and police units — combined their strengths for an exercise called Homeland Shield 2020. The Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) invited units from the National Guard and the Interior Ministry for phase one of the exercise, held mainly near Bahrain’s western coastline from Ras al-Matala to Ras al-Bar. BDF participation included Army Aviation, the Air Force, armored battalions, mechanized infantry battalions, the Royal Military Police Unit, the Thunderbolt Force, and the Royal Special Force. The exercise agenda included storming buildings, freeing hostages, close-quarters combat, shooting and marksmanship, formation skydiving, and fast roping. His…
UNIPATH STAFF Afghan security forces underscored their growing proficiency with the arrest of three senior ISIS leaders trying to establish terror networks in the South and Central Asian region after defeats in Syria and Iraq. Regional ISIS commander Abu Omar Khorasani was among those detained during operations in Kabul that also netted the men who headed the group’s intelligence and propaganda wings. The Afghan Interior Ministry announced the arrests in May 2020. In April 2020, Afghan forces in Kandahar captured Abdullah Orakzai, leader of the Khorosan branch of ISIS, along with several of his henchmen. Previously captured ISIS militants provided…
UNIPATH STAFF AU.S. delegation led by David Mount of United States Central Command’s (CENTCOM) program to curb proliferation of weapons of mass destruction visited Turkmenistan in early 2020. The purpose of the visit was to discuss cooperation in preventing the proliferation of nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological weapons. CENTCOM has conducted anti-WMD simulations with several of its security partners in the Middle East and Central Asia, including detection, removal and disposal of chemical agents by teams of emergency personnel. The CENTCOM meeting was one of several recent efforts aimed at improving relations between the U.S. and Turkmenistan. Areas of mutual…
UNIPATH STAFF The Royal Navy of Oman opened a lifeline to a section of the country geographically and economically isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Musandam governorate, a mountainous peninsula that juts into the Strait of Hormuz, is separated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The COVID lockdown resulted in the closure of land borders between the UAE and Musandam, which left its 31,500 residents without easy access to food, fuel, medical supplies and other necessities. The sultanate was forced to improvise ways to deliver those essentials to its noncontiguous province. The Royal Navy began…
UNIPATH STAFF Terrorists attempting to hide in the rugged triangle formed by Salah al-Din, Kirkuk and Ninevah governorates in northern Iraq were ousted from their lairs during joint operations that began in March 2020. Iraqi forces targeted Daesh remnants seeking to reorganize their ranks and carry out large-scale terrorist operations as they had in the past. Dozens of terrorists were killed in operations that engaged Iraqi military helicopters, Air Force jets and mechanized ground forces. In early March 2020, the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS) killed 25 Daesh militants in the Qara Chokh Mountains in Ninevah using airborne troops and…