UNIPATH STAFF Discussion of current events — including the victory over Daesh in Iraq and the civil war in Yemen — occupied the attention of regional leaders meeting in Bahrain in December 2017 for the 13th edition of the Manama Dialogue. The annual security summit attracted leaders from 20 countries to address topics such as counterterrorism; conflict resolution in Syria, Yemen and Iraq; the security implications of economic reform; and political and military responses to extremism. Dr. Anwar Mohammad Gargash, the United Arab Emirates’ minister of state for foreign affairs and international cooperation, stressed that Arab states can no longer…
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UNIPATH STAFF The Lebanese Army has received its first allotment of two A-29 Super Tucano light combat aircraft from the United States. The arrival of the aircraft boosts Lebanon’s ability to fight terrorists, defend its borders, conduct reconnaissance and support ground troops. The planes are equipped with machine guns and can be adapted to fire laser-guided missiles. The two aircraft, flown by pilots trained in the U.S., are the first of six Super Tucanos promised in 2018. The aircraft has served successfully in tumultuous regions such as Afghanistan, whose hilly terrain and hot summers duplicate those of Lebanon. The Lebanese…
UNIPATH STAFF His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of Jordan and Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon met in Amman to discuss improving relations and increasing security between the two nations. The December 2017 talks led to agreements in the fields of economics, trade, science, technology, tourism, culture and agriculture. One outcome will be the formation of a joint Jordanian-Tajikistani business council. The talks were followed by a communiqué in which the two countries announced plans to bolster cooperation by creating a Jordanian-Tajikistani parliamentary friendship committee and boosting political relations by coordinating their foreign affairs ministries and embassies. President Rahmon,…
UNIPATH STAFF Kyrgyzstan and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are partnering to protect some of the country’s biggest strategic assets: its hydroelectric dams and power stations. The OSCE Programme Office has donated video surveillance equipment to the National Guard of the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan to enhance the Tash-Kuymr and Kurpsai power stations. Two other large hydroelectric stations in the country, Shamaldysai and Uch-Korgon, received security cameras several years ago. “Improving operational readiness and the protection of critical energy facilities is one of the key objectives of the country,” said Almazbek Karasartov, commander of the Kyrgyzstan…
UNIPATH STAFF Improving Oman’s response to cyber attacks was the goal of the country’s fourth National Cyber Security Drill, which involved 34 government agencies. Millions of attacks target Oman’s networks annually. The three-day drill, held in October 2017 by Oman’s Information Technology Authority (ITA) through its Computer Emergency Response Team (OCERT), tested the readiness of governmental institutions to fend off such attacks. It also enhanced coordination between OCERT and the private sector. OCERT head Eng Bader Ali al Salhi noted that Oman had investigated more than 1,800 security incidents through the first 10 months of 2017. It has also issued…
UNIPATH STAFF Coalition International Night is an annual event at United States Central Command (CENTCOM) that honors the dozens of nations that have contributed to the fight against global terrorism. The November 30, 2017, event — the 13th International Night since 2005 — provided an opportunity for representatives from countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia to share photographs, clothing, foods, crafts and books from their home countries with visitors. It also allowed officers from the Middle East, Europe, Australia, the Americas and Central, South and East Asia to share their cultures with U.S. leaders such as CENTCOM Commander Gen.…
UNIPATH STAFF Stability in Yemen was the focus of a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, of regional foreign ministers and military chiefs in October 2017. Among the prominent voices urging a peaceful solution to the crisis in Yemen were those of Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Jordan Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat. Safadi reiterated Jordan’s support for multinational agreements regarding Yemen, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 and the Gulf Initiative. He noted that the Arab Alliance was created to respond to a request from the legitimate government of Yemen. Jordanian security is linked…
UNIPATH STAFF Egypt is planning to build the largest seawater desalination plant in the world in the Suez coastal city of Ain Sokhna. The project has a 300 million euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The plant will have the capacity to purify 164,000 cubic meters of seawater a day and will contribute to the economic revival of the Suez governate, said Kamal El-Wazeir, head of the Egyptian Armed Forces Engineering Authority. Three other large desalination plants operate nearby in El Galala, and Egypt has constructed others in Marsa Matrouh farther west on the coast of…
UNIPATH STAFF The Qatari Armed Forces helped rescue hundreds of victims of a massive terrorist attack in the Somali capital of Mogadishu in October 2017. Under orders from His Royal Highness Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, a Qatari medical and rescue team aboard a C-17 aircraft flew 2,700 kilometers to Somalia with first aid for victims of a terror bombing that overwhelmed Mogadishu’s medical system. Afterward, Qatar helped transport more than 100 wounded to hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan. The military mission included assistance from the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group and Hamad Medical Corporation. In a further…
UNIPATH STAFF Iraqi Armed Forces and Syrian troops affiliated with the coalition symbolically linked hands on their mutual border in December 2017 to mark the final defeat of Daesh in Iraq. The terrorist group once boasted more than 25,000 fighters in the region, but by the beginning of 2018 fewer than 3,000 remained, mostly in Syria. So thoroughly had Iraqi forces recaptured the territory once occupied by Daesh that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory December 10, 2017. Nearly 8 million Iraqis and Syrians have been liberated from Daesh misrule since 2014. Cities freed included Ramadi, Mosul, Fallujah, Raqqa…