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…
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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…
UNIPATH STAFF Reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the Lebanese Armed Forces, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, visited Lebanon in July 2020. Gen. McKenzie’s visit included a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun. The general reassured Aoun of the importance of preserving the security, sovereignty and stability of Lebanon through military cooperation between the United States and Lebanon. The U.S. CENTCOM delegation included U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea and U.S. Defense Attache Robert Meine. The U.S. — with assistance from the United Kingdom and France — has supported the Lebanese Armed Forces with weapons, training and…
UNIPATH STAFF Kazakhstan is a global leader in solving problems related to terrorism, including the repatriation, criminal prosecution and reintegration of Daesh fighters from Syria and Iraq. That was the opinion of Nathan Sales, then-U.S. ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State, in an interview with Kazakh journalists. According to a State Department report on global terrorism issued in June 2020, Kazakhstan remains vigilant about militants returning to the country from the Middle East and Afghanistan. Despite concerns about potential domestic terrorist attacks stemming from the repatriation of nearly 600 Kazakhstani nationals from Syria and Iraq…
An investigation that began with an ATM fire led to the identification of what the Bahraini government calls 54 terrorist suspects financed and trained by Iran. The destruction of the ATM in the city of Jad Hafs in November 2019 was one of a series of planned acts of vandalism and terror meant to destabilize Bahraini society. The suspects received support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Out of the 54 suspects, 15 remained at large as of June 2020. The investigation indicated that suspects received military, financial and logistical training from the IRGC to carry out attacks in…
UNIPATH STAFF Qatar held a series of security drills in the spring of 2020 to ready the nation for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of World Cup football fans in 2022. Despite the additional duties dictated by the spread COVID-19, Qatari security forces followed through with training to prepare for the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup. Qatar expects to accommodate 32 national teams and their fans for close to a month. In March and April 2020, Qatari security forces completed a series of exercises: Aman 1 in Al Rayyan, Aman 2 in Dukhan, Aman 3 in the…
Reacting to fears that COVID-19 lockdowns would cause food shortages, Gulf Cooperation Council countries approved Kuwait’s proposal to establish an integrated food security network across the region. The decision was made during a teleconference among ministers of trade and industry in GCC member states. They directed the General Secretariat of the GCC to prepare a working paper on food security and to establish a committee to monitor the flow of commodities among the Gulf states. Kuwait’s proposal entails establishing a food security network with the aim of ensuring adequate food supplies in the Gulf during times of crisis. The Kuwaiti…
The role of the Egyptian security forces is not limited to military tasks and repelling potential external aggressions. They are in constant cooperation with other ministries and state institutions to help Egyptian citizens defend against visible and nonvisible adversaries, as well as contribute to the improvement of living conditions and create a safe and stable environment for the Egyptian people. In March 2020, the Third Field Army, along with the Egyptian Air Force and local police, destroyed opium poppy and Indian cannabis plantations in the plains and mountains of Sinai, including Saint Catherine, Al Nadyah, Al Akhdar and Wadi El…
Strained by the spread of COVID-19 creeping over its eastern border with China, Kyrgyzstan has drawn support from its European partners to aid its economic recovery. The European Union not only pledged support to Kyrgyzstan to fight COVID-19, it increased the amount of financial aid targeting the country’s financially stressed social service sector. Kyrgyzstan reported losing tens of millions of dollars in taxes and customs duties from the COVID-19 lockdown. The EU has been actively engaging Kyrgyzstan following the rollout of its Central Asia Strategy in 2019, which emphasizes human rights, border security, environment protection, economic development and regional cooperation.…
VOICE OF AMERICA During the spring 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan announced it had erected security fencing along more than 70% of the country’s 2,600-kilometer border with Afghanistan and expected to complete the project in 2021. Pakistan’s Army oversees the $500 million project to secure the historically porous frontier between the two countries. In addition to building 3-meter-high metal fencing topped with razor wire, Pakistan is equipping guard posts with modern surveillance gear. “The fencing activity has not stopped. The stretch of Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is near completion and the work is speedily underway on the stretch in Baluchistan,”…