August, 2017

• 19 August

  Sudan receives invitation to join U.S.-Egypt military exercises

  Sudan has received an invitation to take part in a joint U.S.-Egyptian military training exercise this October in Egypt, a first for the country in almost thirty years according to the Sudanese Defense Ministry. General Emad al-Din Adawi announced the invitation to join the Bright Star exercises that will take …

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• 19 August

  US approves $1.25 billion HIMARS sale to Romania

  The US State Department has cleared a $1.25 billion High Mobility Artillery Rocket System sale to Romania, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency announcement Friday. The department notified Congress Thursday and the deal is now pending congressional approval.

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• 19 August

  UN Libya envoy in Cairo for meetings with Egypt leadership

  Newly-installed United Nations Libya envoy Ghassan Salame was in Cairo on Monday for the latest round of high-level discussions with the Egyptian leadership on resolving the Libyan crisis. Mr Salame, a former Lebanese political sciences professor based in Paris, joins a long line of previous successors hoping to stem the …

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• 19 August

  EU steps up assistance to Mali and the CAR

  With the crises in Mali and the Central African Republic worsening, the EU has released fresh humanitarian funding of €9 million to respond to the most pressing needs. This brings the EU’s overall humanitarian support to West and Central Africa in 2017 to nearly €254 million since the beginning of …

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• 19 August

  US airstrikes kill 7 al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia

  The US military says it has killed seven al-Shabaab fighters in a series of airstrikes in Somalia as the Trump administration steps up efforts against the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.

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• 19 August

  US Defense Secretary to visit Turkey, Jordan, Ukraine

  US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Saturday will begin a five-day trip to Jordan, Turkey and the Ukraine, Pentagon officials announced Friday. The trip is intended “to reaffirm the enduring US commitment to strategic partnerships,” the officials said. Mattis will begin his engagements Monday in Jordan by meeting with King …

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• 19 August

  Iraq: Popular Mobilization to field 20.000 fighters for Tal Afar battle

  Iraq: The pro-government Popular Mobilization Forces will field 20.000 fighters for the anticipated offensive to retake the town of Tal Afar, Islamic State’s last bastion i Nineveh province, a spokesperson said. PMF spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi said Friday that 20.000 fighters will take part in the imminent battle, saying that the …

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• 19 August

  Iraq cities can take up to 25 years of work to clear explosives

  The wires protruding from the small, misshapen stuffed animal revealed the deadly booby-trap tucked inside. For the people of Mosul, the sophisticated bomb was a reminder of how difficult it will be to return to homes littered with hidden explosives by Daesh militants and dotted with the remnants of undetonated …

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• 16 August

  US to discuss new strategy for South-Asian issues

  United States President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence on Friday will discuss South-Asia strategy with their national security team. The meeting will be held to develop a new strategy to deal with Afghanistan, which is logger-heads with the United States from past 16 years. Currently, around 8400 U.S. soldiers …

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• 16 August

  US-led coalition raids kill 17 Daesh terrorists in Tal Afar

  U.S.-led coalition warplanes and Iraqi forces pounded Daesh positions in the northwestern city of Tal Afar on Tuesday, killing at least 17 terrorists, according to an Iraqi military officer. Lieutenant Colonel Shams al-Din al-Anbari said the attacks targeted Daesh arms depots and training sites in the city.

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