UNIPATH STAFF Egyptian and French naval forces converged on the Red Sea in February 2018 to demonstrate the importance of multinational cooperation in protecting shipping lanes from terrorist attacks. Cleopatra 2018 was the name of the joint training exercise that included naval gunfire with live ammunition, helicopter missions launched from Mistral class amphibious assault ships, refueling operations on a Red Sea island, and searches and seizures of suspect vessels. Egypt supplied units from its southern fleet, including the Mistral-class Anwar El Sadat, several frigates of the Gowind class, missile launchers and elements of special naval units. Egyptian commanders viewed Cleopatra…
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UNIPATH STAFF To aid in the fight against terrorism and promote national reconciliation, Lebanon received pledges for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of military aid during a multinational security conference in Rome in March 2018. Although most of the donations came from European countries and the United States, Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia raised the possibility of contributing money in the future. Lebanon is in the process of outlining a five-year National Defense Strategy that suggests ways in which the country can improve its military and internal security forces. In 2017, in an operation called Fajr al-Joroud,…
UNIPATH STAFF Yemeni forces emerged victorious in a military operation to purge al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula from Abyan and Shabwa governorates in March 2018. Operation Sweeping Torrent, backed by forces from the Arab Coalition, including Saudi and Emirati troops, also netted warehouses containing missiles, explosives, bullets and other ammunition. The local commander, Col. Fahad Gharama, said Yemeni troops supported by United Arab Emirates fighter jets ousted al-Qaida fugitives from the mountains in Abyan’s Al Mahfad district, a former terrorist stronghold. The regional al-Qaida commander died in the attacks. “We have cleaned Al Mahfad’s military camps, valleys, villages and mountains from…
UNIPATH STAFF A Pakistan Navy ship participating in Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) seized $197 million worth of hashish in February 2018 in the Arabian Sea. Pakistani warship Aslat discovered the 5 tons of hashish after requesting permission to board an unregistered dhow in international waters. A dhow is a traditional sailing vessel in those waters. The seizure continued a recent string of successes in drug interdiction for the multinational naval task force. Between November 2017 and early February 2018, seven ships in CTF 150 confiscated an estimated $1 billion worth of illegal drugs, including 1.5 tons of heroin.…
SALTANAT BERDIKEEVA Highlighting improving relations between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov approved an agreement in January 2018 to improve security on the countries’ long common border. Diplomats hammered out the agreement in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, in October 2017. It promises to strengthen stability, cross-border security, and trust between the two countries. In addition to improving cross-border relations, the agreement facilitates cooperation on regional security issues such as counterterrorism, drug trafficking and illegal migration. Relations between the two neighbors have improved since the 2016 accession of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Until recently, the 1,374-kilometer border that Kyrgyzstan shares…
UNIPATH STAFF Jordan is defending its borders with a fleet of new UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flown in part by female pilots. Lara Al-Hawawsheh and Aya Al-Sourany, both 2nd lieutenants in the Royal Jordanian Air Force, were introduced at a January 2018 ceremony in which a final shipment of Black Hawks was delivered to bolster Jordan’s Quick Reaction Force. Al-Hawawsheh and Al-Sourany are two of six female helicopter pilots trained in the United States with the support of the U.S. Counter-Terrorism Partnership Fund. “The women take pride in serving in the military. They love their country. They do a…
UNIPATH STAFF To prevent a resurgence of terrorist groups such as Daesh, the Iraqi government has asked NATO to set up specialized military academies to develop the skills of Iraqi troops. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said a training mission in Iraq drawing on the strengths of European militaries will aid in “projecting stability” in the Middle East. “NATO already trains Iraqi forces. But establishing a mission will make our current training efforts more sustainable,” Stoltenberg announced in February 2018. “It would benefit from better resourcing and a well-established process for allies to contribute forces. We will also plan to help…
UNIPATH STAFF Kuwait has agreed to donate $2 billion to help rebuild Iraq after the depredations of Daesh. The contribution was announced at the Kuwait International Conference for Reconstruction of Iraq, partly organized by the United Nations in Kuwait City in February 2018. In announcing the donation, His Highness the Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, highlighted Iraq’s suffering at the hands of Daesh and its affiliates. “We realize the scale of destruction wrought on Iraq as a result of terrorist organizations’ control of some of its lands,” the emir said. He added: “Iraq’s stability is an inseparable part…
UNIPATH STAFF Bahrain marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of its military with a multinational live-fire demonstration in Manama involving troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The February 2018 “Power of Determination” joint mobilization drill was conducted by the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) in the presence of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, supreme commander of the Armed Forces. The king’s guests included then Saudi Chief of Staff Gen. Abdulrahman bin Salah Al Banyan, Emirati Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, and Peninsula Shield Joint Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Walid…
UNIPATH STAFF A reform of Uzbekistan law enforcement agencies that emerged in April 2017 has started bearing fruit. A recently created Department of International Cooperation under the Uzbek Ministry of Interior has successfully launched interagency coordination groups with police in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and other countries. “The results are spectacular,” department head Col. Shahrukh Giyasov said. He cited an example of how close cooperation between law enforcement agencies in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan helped capture a criminal who killed a family in the eastern Uzbek province of Andijan. Enhanced collaboration and information exchange between law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan also benefits…