In between their successes in the field, Lebanese troops are deployed to help citizens in times of need. The Lebanese military’s Directorate of Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC), commanded by Brig. Gen. Eli Abi Rashid, is responsible for supplying troops for such missions of mercy in coordination with civilian state agencies and private donors. Recent events include providing free health care at hospitals and schools in the Baalbek governorate; distributing aid packages of toys, clothes and food to families in Tripoli; and disbursing 7,500 items of winter clothing to families in the Bekaa and Baalbek governorates. At the hospital visit in…
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SALTANAT BERDIKEEVA Facing pollution from Soviet-era mining of radioactive metals, Kyrgyzstan has passed a law banning the production of uranium and thorium in the country. The law, signed by Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov in December 2019, aims to protect public health and the environment from toxic radioactive waste, known as tailings, contained in 92 dumps throughout the country. The law also bans imports of raw materials that contain uranium or thorium. Addressing the safety of existing uranium tailings in Kyrgyzstan — one of its most dire safety and national security problems dating back to the Soviet era — the European…
UNIPATH STAFF In what could be a boon to energy-hungry Central and South Asia, Turkmenistan intends to start construction in 2020 on the Afghanistan part of a vital 1,800-kilometer natural gas pipeline. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline, known as TAPI, would deliver 33 billion cubic meters of Turkmen natural gas to its neighbors to the southeast. Construction of the 800-kilometer Afghan stretch of the pipeline, through Herat and Kandahar, has faced delays, but the Afghan government seeks to conclude land acquisition agreements with Turkmenistan in the first half of 2020. TAPI is part of a larger strategy to diversify and secure the…
Combing 26,000 square kilometers in Anbar governorate and adjacent regions, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command launched Operation Iraqi Heroes in February 2020 to purge Iraq’s border with Syria and Jordan of Daesh holdouts. By the end of February 2020, units from the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) also conducted an operation that led to the neutralization of Daesh militants and the capture of terrorist leaders in the governorate of Kirkuk. Other fugitive Daesh fighters were killed in battles in Diyala, Ninewa and Salah al-Din governorates. The first phase of Operation Iraqi Heroes engaged not just the CTS but also regular…
Two Pakistan Navy ships, the Moawin and Aslat, visited Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, the Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania as part of the Pakistani military’s overseas deployments to the African region. In addition to bilateral discussions among naval commanders in the various ports of call in late 2019 and early 2020, Pakistani naval doctors and paramedics established medical camps in most of the countries to treat 10,000 African patients. These goodwill gestures also included transporting more serious medical cases to sick bays on the Moawin. In the Seychelles, Pakistani naval officers visited an orphanage run by the Roman…
Kazakhstan strengthened its strategic partnership with the United States during an official visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tleuberdi to Washington, D.C., in December 2019. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed his desire that Kazakhstan play a significant role in restoring stability to Afghanistan and reintegrating it into the region. “Kazakhstan is a leader in Central Asia, and the U.S. relies on it as a regional partner,” Pompeo told Minister Tleuberdi. “We consider your country an important partner to maintain regional security.” Tleuberdi emphasized Kazakhstan’s commitment to stronger cooperation with the U.S., a commitment reinforced by a 2018…
Since terrorism appeared in Sinai, Egyptian security forces have launched a series of successful anti-terror operations. In February 2020, Egyptian security forces repelled a terrorist attack targeting a military position in North Sinai, killing 10 militants, Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman Staff Col. Thamer Al-Rifai announced. It was the culmination of several operations over many months against the terrorist group Wilayat Sinai, the Egyptian branch of Daesh. In the six months after September 2019, security forces killed and arrested nearly 200 terrorists. Egypt also eliminated 376 explosives that terrorists planned to use against Soldiers and civilians. The assaults on the terrorists…
Qatar has announced its intention to maintain good political, trade, diplomatic and military relations with most of the world’s nations. The nation pays special attention to its relations with its Arab neighbors due, in part, to social, historical, cultural and religious values it shares with them. After more than two years of strained relations between Qatar and its partners on the Gulf Cooperation Council, participants at the 40th GCC summit in Riyadh in December 2019 made a push for reconciliation. His Highness Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received an invitation from His Majesty Saudi King Salman…
His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of Jordan consolidated three security agencies in December 2019, merging the General Directorate of the Gendarmerie Forces, the General Directorate of Civil Defense and the Public Security Directorate. The king urged Jordanian Prime Minister Dr. Omar Razzaz to complete the necessary legal and administrative work to achieve the merger, which will streamline the country’s efforts to ensure the safety of its growing population. In a letter to the prime minister, the king cited the need to stretch the nation’s budget and enhance the performance of security agencies to serve the citizenry. To…
Bahrain honored the foundation of the country’s defense forces with celebrations at several embassies around the world. Sheikh Hamoud bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, ambassador of Bahrain to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, held a reception at the embassy in Riyadh attended by prominent Saudi leaders. Bahraini Ambassador to the United Kingdom Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa held a celebratory luncheon at the Army & Navy Club in London. That ceremony was attended by Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the British Parliament’s Defense Committee. The Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) was established in 1968 during the reign of His Majesty Sheikh…