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.…
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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…
UNIPATH STAFF The Arab League adopted an Egyptian resolution to develop a pan-Arab counterterrorism system, according to an official statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in December 2017. The resolution was approved just days after terrorists murdered 311 civilians at Friday prayers at Al-Rawdah mosque in North Sinai. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the resolution reinforces efforts to build consensus in support of Egypt’s counterterrorism vision. In line with the view of the Egyptian government, the resolution called combating terrorism a fundamental human right. The resolution called for implementing the Arab Convention for the Suppression…
Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa Leads His Nation Against Extremism UNIPATH STAFF Photos by the Associated Press A stark reminder hangs on the office wall of Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan’s chief of Army staff. The photos on display are those of children murdered by terrorists in Peshawar’s Army Public School in December 2014. Gen. Bajwa is determined not to forget. The Army he has commanded since late 2016 has recommitted itself to fighting violent extremism through well-publicized counterterrorism operations such as Zarb-e-Azb and Rudd-ul-Fasaad. “The Pakistan Army is capable of meeting all internal and external challenges. It…
A multinational task force launches a mission to secure the seas between Yemen and Somalia UNIPATH STAFF | photos by COMBINED MARITIME FORCES Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, under the command of Commodore Yusuf Almannaie of the Royal Bahrain Navy, launched a counterpiracy mission called Operation Hamad in February 2018 to deter criminals on the waters between Yemen and Somalia. The multinational task force, bolstered by a unit from Oman, is cooperating with a ship from the European Union’s Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) to establish a strong naval presence in the Gulf of Aden, the Socotra Gap and the waters near…
Kurdish Soldiers serve with distinction in the Iraqi Armed Forces against Daesh MASTER SGT. WALEED KHALED SALEH MAZOURI BARZANI HEADQUARTERS COMPANY, 1ST SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND, IRAQI COUNTER-TERRORISM SERVICE I joined the Iraqi Special Operations Command in 2003 and have had the honor to participate in most of the battles of liberation. I remain a loyal Soldier dedicated to defending Iraq, its unity and its sovereignty. The reason I joined this force is that its fighters exhibit extraordinary professionalism and loyalty to the homeland. I am proud to be part of anti-terrorism forces whose members include all Iraqi factions without exception and…
Granting authority to officers on the ground improves performance in unconventional operations Unipath Staff Lt. Col. Hisham Khaleel Mubarak Al Jarrah, commanding officer of the 77th Royal Jordanian Marine Battalion, recently hosted the Regional Marine Symposium in Aqaba with U.S. and Middle Eastern counterparts. Much of the discussion concerned strengthening these compact, flexible forces for operations against terrorists. Lt. Col. Hisham sat down with Unipath to discuss enhancing the performance of his battalion by giving more command flexibility to noncommissioned and junior officers on the ground. Unipath: How did you come up with the idea to give noncommissioned officers in…