Terrorist attacks on schools, shopping centers and places of worship are a growing worldwide problem. To defend against violent extremists who target vulnerable civilians, security practitioners from more than 20 Turkmenistan government agencies participated in a two-day training held in the capital Ashgabat by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in April 2025. “The global nature of the threat of international terrorism has necessitated the unification of international efforts to combat it,” said Geldimyrat Haldurdyyev, head of Turkmenistan’s Law and International Relations Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is “especially relevant against the backdrop of…
Unipath
The Houthis continue to flout international law by stripping Yemeni people of their human rights and launching attacks on commercial shipping transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. In July 2025, the Houthi terrorist group attacked and sank the Liberian-flagged Eternity C cargo ship in the Red Sea, killing four sailors and leaving 15 others missing. The Houthis took 11 surviving crew members hostage. They were released by the efforts of the Omani government in December 2025. The International Chamber of Shipping and the Baltic and International Maritime Council — a global shipping association representing shipowners, operators and…
In response to direct attacks from the Iranian regime against its neighbors in the Arabian Gulf and Levant, the United States Department of War is accelerating use of a defensive measure to protect regional partners and U.S. forces.The Department of War Rewards Program (DoWRP) offers money to people who provide timely, credible information to disrupt security threats. These rewards are payable directly to the person who submits the information, pending validation and review. Rewards can reach $5 million depending on the information’s quality.Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, is expanding the program because of recent hostilities in the…
Saudi Arabia is a cornerstone of regional and global stability, based on its strategic location, leadership vision, economic strength, and its king’s role as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The Saudi Armed Forces fulfill this responsibility through credible deterrence, high readiness and enduring partnerships, guided by a clear commitment to professionalism and humanitarian principles. As part of a shared responsibility for regional and global security, Saudi Arabia remains committed to developing joint capabilities to enable close coordination to operate with allies and partners. Therefore future force integration, integrated deterrence and collective actions are essential to sustain stability and protect…
In a bustle of machine-gun fire, helicopter assaults and armored attacks, a company from the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) Quick Reaction Force trained for the first time at one of the premier military training sites in the United States. The Jordanian troops completed their demanding combat training rotation in June 2025 at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. It was the culmination of nearly a year of preparation for troops hand-selected from among the three battalions of the Jordanian Quick Reaction Force. Although U.S. Army troops regularly participate in Jordanian-hosted exercises such as Eager Lion, this…
Saudi Arabia has earned recognition as a major non-NATO ally of the United States, a status that gives the Saudis easier access to U.S. military equipment and expands security training and cooperation. The announcement came at a visit by His Highness Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, D.C., in November 2025. The highlight of the trip was meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, who heralded the new Strategic Defense Agreement between the two countries. “A stronger and more capable alliance will advance the interests of both countries, and it will serve the highest interest of…
Since 2023, Vice Adm. Mazin Abdulwahid Kebiyan has commanded the Iraqi Navy, which has grown in importance as the defender of Iraqi ports vital for the country’s economic security. It consists of patrol boats that protect the waters near the deepwater port of Um Qasr on Iraq’s narrow southern coastline. It’s also the main defender of the country’s territorial waters and maintains Iraq’s interests and sover- eignty in adjacent waters and economic zones. “The Navy protects Iraq’s commercial and oil ports, thereby securing the country’s main economic artery. This is why the Iraqi Navy is so important and plays such…
I would like to thank our friends at United States Central Command for inviting us to write for this issue of Unipath magazine, which focuses on international cooperation to combat terrorism. Iraqi security forces have gained a great deal of experience in fighting terrorist organizations. Over the past two decades, Iraq has suffered multiple terrorist attacks by armed groups and organizations targeting the democratic project and trying to lock Iraq into a cycle of conflict and violence. Some of these groups are backed by countries with their own malicious agendas and intentions, while others feed on sectarian conflict. Terrorist organizations are…
Dozens of terrorists were eliminated and hundreds of hostages rescued from a train carrying 440 passengers in a March 2025 military operation led by Pakistan’s special operations forces. The rescue operation was grounded in a new approach. In 2024, after several years of increased terrorist attacks, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a “reinvigorated” national counterterrorism strategy that would include intensified intelligence operations to undermine violent extremists. A terrorist group called the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed the Jaffar Express, which was headed to the city of Peshawar, by blowing up railroad tracks in front of the locomotive. Several people…
When Tajikistan sought to strengthen its counterterrorism efforts, including improving border security, it turned to a geographically small Middle Eastern country with experience in the field: Kuwait. A November 2024 conference titled “Strengthening International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Building Agile Border Security Mechanisms” brought hundreds of government ministers, heads of international organizations and subject matter experts to Kuwait City to support Central Asia security. A highlight of the summit was a consultation among Tajik Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya and United Nations officials. The Kuwait City counterterrorism conference was emblematic of…