Around the Region

To help maintain security in Afghanistan, the United States has held discussions with Central Asian countries to allow transit flights of American military, reconnaissance and other aircraft through their airspace, said Gen. Stephen Lyons,…

UNIPATH STAFF Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications has announced plans to establish a cyber security authority to combat increasing threats to computer systems on which the country relies. Information…

UNIPATH STAFF Although military service for female Emiratis remains voluntary, many female recruits have taken military training classes to demonstrate their love and loyalty to their homeland.  In the summer of 2019, more than 200…

To raise combat readiness to preempt potential terrorist attacks, the Saudi and Bahraini forces jointly launched two naval exercises: Bridge-20 and Waves-4. The drills occurred at King Abdulaziz Naval Base, southeast of Jubail, Saudi…

Every year, Saudi Arabia hosts millions of religious pilgrims arriving from all over the world to perform the rituals of the Hajj. In the Hajj season of 2019, His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, the Saudi minister of…

UNIPATH STAFF In response to popular calls to remove Daesh fighters from villages near the city of Baquba in Diyala governorate, Iraqi security forces conducted a preemptive attack in August 2019 on terrorist remnants in the region.…

UNIPATH STAFF Egypt hosted one of the region’s premier cyber security conferences in September 2019 under the banner, “Cybersecurity in the Age of Digital Transformation.”  The Arab Cyber Security Conference in Cairo is an annual…

UNIPATH STAFF Turkmenistan joined other Central Asian states in ratifying the Code of Conduct for the Achievement of a Terrorism-Free World, a United Nations initiative developed by Kazakhstan in 2018. The document commits…

UNIPATH STAFF Kazakhstan hosted several delegations of U.S. officials in the summer of 2019, discussions meant to build on the two countries’ cooperation in matters of security, trade and investment. In a meeting with Kazakhstani…

Tajikistan is focusing on reintegrating citizens who renounced their previous involvement with ISIS and other terrorist groups, particularly women and children.  As of mid-2019, the country had repatriated about 300 citizens, including…