August, 2017

• 16 August

  Saudi, Iraq to re-open border crossing

  Saudi Arabia and Iraq plan to open the Arar border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990, when it was closed after the countries cut ties following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, Saudi local media reported on Tuesday. Saudi and Iraqi officials toured the site on Monday and …

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• 16 August

  40k Iraqi troops prepare to retake Tal Afar

  Some 40,000 Iraqi troops are preparing for military operations to retake the Iraqi town of Tal Afar from Daesh. Iraqi authorities have announced that the town, located 80 kilometres west of Mosul, will be the next target in the war against Daesh following the recapture of Mosul. Tal Afar, which …

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• 16 August

  US, Egypt to hold joint military exercise for first time since Arab Spring

  The United States military will take part in a biennial joint military exercise with Egypt called Bright Star 2017 — marking the first time the U.S. has participated in the joint exercise since the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, CNN reported on Aug. 15. The joint exercise …

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• 16 August

  Tunisian security forces kill senior islamist in ambush

  Tunisian armed forces killed two Islamist militants including a senior commander in a mountain raid near the western border with Algeria late on Tuesday, security sources said. “Two terrorists were killed and weapons were seized during an ambush that National Guard units set up against a terrorist group,” in Kasserine …

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• 16 August

  Mali appeals at UN for aid in setting up joint Sahel force

  Hit by several attacks on UN camps, Mali on Tuesday called on the international community to provide military material and financial aid from a new joint force being set up by five countries of the Sahel region. Speaking before the UN Security Council, Mali’s ambassador to the United Nations, Issa …

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• 16 August

  Boko Haram bombers kill 20 at camp in northeast Nigeria

  A local official in Nigeria’s northeastern village of Mandarari says 20 people have been killed in an attack by suspected Boko Haram extremists at a camp near a market. Village chief Lawan Kalli said Tuesday at least three suicide bombers entered the market around 5 p.m. posing as buyers, then …

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• 10 August

  Egypt affirms will to contribute on solving Gulf crisis

  Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed Thursday his country’s willingness to find a solution for the ongoing Gulf crisis through dialogue. Shoukry made his remarks while meeting with Retired General Anthony Zinni, Envoy of US Secretary of State for Gulf crisis, and Timothy Lenderking, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State …

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• 10 August

  UN envoy to Libya starts diplomatic tour of country

  The UN envoy to Libya visited the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday to meet with civil society groups and others, as he continues his tour of Libyan cities on both sides of the conflict alongside shuttle diplomacy. Ghassan Salame, the new head of the United Nations Support Mission in …

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• 10 August

  US reiterates commitment to solve conflict in Libya

  The United States embassy in Libya issued a statement on Thursday saying it remains fully committed to working with all Libyans to help advance stabilization and resolve the conflict in Libya. The embassy added on its website that it is engaging a wide range of Libyan political and security figures …

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• 10 August

  Lebanon army to dislodge Daesh from area near Syrian border

  Lebanon’s US-backed military is gearing up for a long-awaited assault to dislodge hundreds of Daesh militants from a remote corner near Syrian border, seeking to end a years-long threat posed to neighbouring towns and villages by the extremists. The campaign will involve cooperation with the militant group Hezbollah and the …

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