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…
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Brig. Gen. Mohammed Al-Mustafa’s leadership of an elite Marine regiment has earned him international recognition UNIPATH STAFF | Photos by Lebanese Armed Forces All attempts by terrorist groups to fracture Lebanese national unity by plunging the Lebanese people into infighting have failed. Their attempts to undermine security and stability in the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp and in Tripoli and other northern cities ultimately disappointed. The will of the Lebanese people won out in the end. Behind such a victory lies a national force capable of fending off security threats, men and women who love their country and defend its sovereignty. These…
Afghan girls build a ventilator using old car parts to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic UNIPATH STAFF When COVID-19 struck Afghanistan, the country was suffering from a shortage of medical equipment to fight the virus. But thanks to the ingenuity of five girls in the northern city of Herat, Afghanistan was able to create an inexpensive ventilator from machine parts easily available across the country. The girls — ages 14 to 17 — went online to find a mechanical solution to the ventilator shortage, designing an air pumping device powered by windshield wiper motors from Toyota Corollas no longer in…
After defeating Daesh, Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service seeks to upgrade equipment, skills and training UNIPATH STAFF Notwithstanding Daesh’s control over Mosul in June 2014 and the loss of central government control over vast territories between Mosul and Baghdad, a battalion-size force continued to fight inside Mosul, not withdrawing until receiving orders to move on toward Baiji. The force battled its way over more than 300 kilometers to arrive at its destination, retaining all its weapons and equipment, along with the psychological will to continue the fight. Some military commanders refer to this mission as “the miracle.” Staff Gen. Abdul Wahab al-Saidi, commander…
Freedom of speech needs to be protected in a post-conflict Yemen MAGED AL-MADHAJI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE SANAA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES | Photos BY YEMENI MINISTRY OF INFORMATION For the past few years, women have been abducted in northern Yemen, tortured, raped, forced into false confessions of prostitution, and left traumatized and stigmatized — their punishment for publicly contradicting the Houthi authorities. This has been an open secret in Sanaa that independent Yemeni journalists should have been investigating, corroborating and publishing to shine light into every shadowy corner that nurtures such atrocities. It is impossible, however, for journalists in northern…
The COVID-19 crisis elevated the importance of the Jordan Armed Forces’ informational branch BRIG. GEN. (ret.) MOKHLESS MOHAMMED AL-MEFLEH, FORMER GENERAL DIRECTOR OF MORAL GUIDANCE, JORDAN ARMED FORCES The media plays a prominent role in human life, so much so that it has become indispensable, especially given the media’s technical evolution. This, in turn, has led to the increasing importance of daily information, so that the world has come to be described as a small village. Military media is an integral part of this information system. Military media is considered part of the state’s overall strategy, premised on the fact that…
Saudi Arabia Uses Military and Humanitarian Aid to Oppose Iran’s Campaign of Misery in Yemen Brig. Gen. TURKI BIN SALEH AL-MALIKI SPOKESMAN FOR THE ARAB COALITION TO RESTORE LEGITIMACY IN YEMEN The Saudi Ministry of Defense has developed a distinct media communication strategy, based on transparent communication and providing necessary information about military operations designed to restore legitimacy in Yemen. In July 2017 I had the honor of being appointed as official spokesman of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, a position from which our forces can communicate with the media credibly and transparently and shape public opinion…
Lebanon and Jordan, already under considerable strain from hosting large numbers of refugees from Syria, have been forced to confront an invisible and insidious enemy in the form of COVID-19. STAFF SGT. STEVEN COLVIN U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND CENTRAL But with the help of U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) — which has built and maintained strong partnerships with the Lebanese and Jordan Armed Forces over a generation — some of the impact of the virus was alleviated. The Lebanese Civil-Military Cooperation Center (CIMIC) and the Jordanian Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) have received assistance from civil affairs (CA) teams from the…
The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces and U.S. Marines Partner in Native Fury Military Exercise UNIPATH STAFF The crash of explosions shattered the stillness of the morning as Apache helicopters bombarded enemy positions on the outskirts of the city. The enemy’s anti-aircraft guns tried to mount a defense but were swiftly silenced by the firepower of the armored vehicles of the 83rd Battalion of the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Mechanized Brigade. The brigade — one of the finest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — rolled up the enemy’s defenses to seize the oil-producing city of Al Hamra. The assault…
MAJ. GEN. (RET.) AWDA ARSHEED SHEDAFAT, JORDAN ARMED FORCES International relations between states are influenced by everything that happens in the world. Wars and their ramifications, repercussions and consequences have probably been the most influential factors in international relations. Numerous world events have contributed to the formation of international alliances, federations, cooperation councils and other international bodies serving the interests of states. We are now living through one of the world’s worst crises, which has been called the equivalent of a global war. The COVID-19 pandemic has crossed boundaries on every continent. It is a hidden enemy, the likes of…