The United States and five Arab allies—Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia—launched a wide-ranging air campaign against ISIS and at least one other extremist group in Syria for the first time early Tuesday, targeting the groups’ bases, training camps, supply lines, and checkpoints in at least four provinces.
Separate from the attacks on ISIS, US Central Command said that US forces acting alone “took action” against “a network of seasoned al-Qaeda veterans” from the Khorasan group—the international operations arm of the Nusra Front in Syria—to disrupt “imminent attack planning against the United States and Western interests.” This attack, in Aleppo province, killed thirty fighters and eight civilians including children. The campaign against ISIS opened with multiple strikes before dawn that focused on the group’s de facto capital city, Raqqa, and on its bases in the surrounding countryside. Other strikes hit in the provinces of Deir Ezzor and Hasaka, whose oil wells ISIS has exploited to finance its operations. Approximately seventy ISIS fighters were killed. Syria’s opposition National Coalition welcomed the air strikes, but urged sustained pressure on President Bashar Assad’s government. Syria’s Kurdish leadership also welcomed the strikes, as fighters on the ground tried to defend a key Kurdish town from a massive ISIS offensive.
EGYPT | LIBYA | SYRIA | TUNISIA | YEMEN | RELATED ISSUES
Sisi to meet Obama in New York, backs campaign against ISIS
US President Barack Obama will hold his first official meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this Thursday in New York, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said. Sisi delivered his first speech on Tuesday at the UN Climate Summit, in which he said the world, especially African and Arab states are in dire need of reaching an agreement that addresses the repercussions of climate change. On Monday, Sisi met with former US Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, former president Bill Clinton and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft. During the meetings Sisi discussed the current regional situation, Egypt’s role in the Gaza ceasefire talks, Egypt’s support for the legitimate government institutions in Libya and Iraq, and the danger of terrorism in the region. He also met with a group of businessmen of the American Chamber of Commerce, and members of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU). In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he pledged his support for the US war against the Islamic State in Syria and al-Sham (ISIS) militants, but called on Obama to widen his campaign against extremism well beyond Iraq and Syria. [Ahram Online, AFP, EGYNews (Arabic), Ahram (Arabic), SIS, 9/23/2014]
Egypt amends foreign funding law to include life sentence
Egypt has amended a law regulating foreign funding, adding more restrictions and putting harsher punishments in place. The amended law – Article 78 of the penal code – now states that offenders who receive foreign or local funding or items to commit acts against the state’s interests, “shall be punished by life imprisonment and a fine no less than EGP500,000 and no more than what he has been given or promised.” This punishment could be raised to execution if the perpetrator is a public servant or holds a public representative status, or “if he committed the crime at wartime or for the purpose of terrorism.” Previously, offenders were punished with “strict imprisonment” and a fine of at least EGP1,000, and the higher-level punishment was “life imprisonment” and a minimum of EGP500,000 fine. Also, unlike the original text, the amendment lists in more detail the sources of funding and the punishable purposes it could be used for. [Ahram Online, Mada Masr, 9/23/2014]
NCHR orders investigation into security forces assault on Minya’s Copts
The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) ordered an investigation on Monday into the Jabal al-Tair incident in Minya where police stormed into Copts’ properties and attacked them. The Free Egyptians Party called on Monday for an “urgent and transparent” investigation into the incident. Last week, twenty-two people were detained for rioting. Christians were protesting to call for the return of a kidnapped Christian woman who has been missing for more than a week, demanding that the police locate her. Her husband had filed a report on her kidnap, but nothing had been done, according to Nader Solaiman, founder of the Christian Youth movement. Meanwhile, a Minya court released twelve of the twenty-two detainees on EGP5,000 bail each. [DNE, 9/23/2014]
UN says rival Libyan groups agree to hold talks
Libya’s rival groups have agreed to hold talks later this month, according to the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the first such negotiations since the latest surge in violent political struggle. In a statement, UNSMIL said that the groups agreed to hold talks on September 29 and that a joint UN-Libyan committee would oversee a future ceasefire. The statement urged the rivals to agree on a timeline to withdraw fighters from the major cities, airports, and other key installations and hinted at the possibility that Islamist militias in control of Tripoli could agree to recognize the elected, Tobruk-based parliament. [AP, 9/22/2014]
Group of nations warns against outside interference in Libya
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, thirteen nations, the European Union, and the United Nations called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and political dialogue in Libya, rejecting that there is a military solution to the current crisis. Among the signatories to the communique were Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which US officials had suggested were behind mysterious airstrikes against Islamists in Tripoli – incidents that were not mentioned. “Those responsible for violence and those who obstruct and undermine Libya’s democratic transition must be held accountable,” the communique said. [Reuters, 9/22/2014]
Parliament approves new government
After rejecting an initial sixteen-member lineup it considered too large, Libya’s House of Representatives finally approved a new cabinet proposed by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni. The new cabinet has thirteen ministers, including three deputies for al-Thinni. There is no oil minister; the sector will be run by the state National Oil Corporation as under Qaddafi. Mohammed al-Dairi, a former senior UN official, will serve as foreign minister. There appears to be conflicting reports about whether a defense minister will be named and whether al-Thinni might retain the title. [Reuters, Libya Herald, 9/22/2014]
Qatar’s sharia-compliant lender puts Libyan bank stake buy on hold
Qatar’s Masraf Al Rayan, the second-largest sharia-compliant lender by assets in the Gulf country, has put on hold its planned acquisition of a stake in a Libyan commercial bank until political conditions in the North African country improve. In a statement, it said it had put the deal on hold “until further notice or till positive indications in the field of investment in Libya are evidenced.” Meanwhile, after reports that Egypt would withdraw its consular staff from Libya, a delegation visited Tobruk, close to the Egyptian border where the elected parliament is based, to open a consulate there. [Reuters, 9/23/2014]
United States and Arab allies strike targets inside Syria; 120 militants killed
The United States and five Arab allies—Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia—launched a wide-ranging air campaign against ISIS and at least one other extremist group in Syria for the first time early Tuesday, targeting the groups’ bases, training camps, supply lines, and checkpoints in at least four provinces. Separate from the attacks on ISIS, US Central Command said that US forces acting alone “took action” against “a network of seasoned al-Qaeda veterans” from the Khorasan group—the international operations arm of the Nusra Front in Syria—to disrupt “imminent attack planning against the United States and Western interests.” This attack, in Aleppo province, killed thirty fighters and eight civilians including children. The campaign against ISIS opened with multiple strikes before dawn that focused on the group’s de facto capital city, Raqqa, and on its bases in the surrounding countryside. Other strikes hit in the provinces of Deir Ezzor and Hasaka, whose oil wells ISIS has exploited to finance its operations. Approximately seventy ISIS fighters were killed. Syria’s opposition National Coalition welcomed the air strikes, but urged sustained pressure on President Bashar Assad’s government. Syria’s Kurdish leadership also welcomed the strikes, as fighters on the ground tried to defend a key Kurdish town from a massive ISIS offensive. [NYT, WSJ, Reuters, Washington Post, 9/23/2014]
Damascus claims it was informed of US strikes, therefore “not act of aggression”
Syria said on Tuesday that US Secretary of State John Kerry had told the Damascus government in a letter delivered by Iraq that the United States planned to attack ISIS in Syria, hours before the air strikes took place. A Syrian analyst interviewed on tightly controlled Syrian state TV said the air strikes did not amount to an act of aggression because the government had been notified in advance. Russia criticized the US-led airstrikes, saying they should have been agreed with its ally Damascus and would fuel tension in the region. [Reuters, 9/23/2014]
Israel downs Syrian fighter jet over Golan
The Israeli military said Tuesday morning that it had shot down a Syrian fighter jet that had “infiltrated into Israeli airspace,” the first such episode in at least a quarter of a century. A military spokesman said the Patriot air-defense system had intercepted a Russian-made Sukhoi warplane over the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights around 9:15 a.m. “We cannot tolerate any penetration of the Israeli airspace, so we had to shut him down even though we understand that his intention was not to attack us. We are not involved in the war in Syria, and we don’t have any intention to be involved.” On Tuesday, Syria confirmed Israel had shot down one of its warplanes over the Golan Heights, in recent weeks the scene of fierce clashes between the Nusra Front and regime forces. Syrian state TV quoted a military source saying the downing of the plane, which coincided with US-led air strikes against ISIS, came “in the framework of Israel’s support for the Islamic State and the Nusra Front.” [NYT, 9/23/2014]
Obama reiterates US support for Tunisia
Interim Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa received, on Monday, a written message from US President Barack Obama reiterating US support for Tunisia at both security and economic levels. The US president expressed his support for Tunisia’s ongoing transition as the country prepares for legislative and presidential elections on October 26 and November 23. [All Africa, TAP, 9/23/2014]
ISIE, Arab League agree on election observation mission
The Independent High Authority for the Elections (ISIE) and the Arab League signed, on Monday, a memorandum of understanding on an election observation mission for the upcoming presidential and legislative elections. According to the agreement, ten observation teams will be deployed throughout the country to monitor election facilities and ensure that the elections proceed without interference. [All Africa, 9/23/2014]
Twenty-four candidates to vie for presidency
The Independent Higher Authority for the Elections (ISIE) announced Tuesday that twenty four candidates, including two women, had successfully registered their candidacy for the presidential election by the 6 pm deadline in Tunis. The ISIE published each candidate’s name, party affiliation, and the number of signatures received in accordance to guidelines released earlier this month. With the presidential elections slated for November 23, the ISIE also confirmed agreements with the Arab league and the European Union that will allow election observers to monitor the polls. [All Africa, 9/23/2014]
YEMEN
Houthis tighten grip on capital, allegedly transport weapons back to Saada
Houthi fighters set up checkpoints, guarded the road to Sana’a’s airport, and stationed gunmen outside key banks late Monday, as they appeared to tighten their grip on the capital. Citizens reported armed Houthis were performing stops. “They stopped and searched me and let me go,” said an official at bank in central Sana’a. “They acted politely and they are still around to protect the banks,” he added. The military has reportedly maintained only a very small presence in the capital. Houthi forces also transported captured weapons from Sana’a back to their stronghold in Saada on Tuesday. Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, whose home was raided by Houthi fighters on Monday, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after apparently fleeing the capital. Al-Ahmar, who has led six wars against the Houthis from 2004 to 2010 and participated in fighting last week, said on his Facebook page that any joy felt by the Houthis at their military successes would be “short-lived.” [Financial Times, 9/22/2014]
President Hadi denies prime minister’s resignation, warns of civil war
Contrary to other reports emerging Sunday, the office of President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi denied that it received the resignation of Prime Minister Mohammed Salim Basindwa. A source reported that Basindwa is still the head of the government at present and that no resignation was delivered to the president’s office. AFP reported that, though tendered, President Hadi has not formally accepted the resignation. President Hadi warned Tuesday, “Sana’a is facing a conspiracy that will lead towards civil war,” referencing the widespread Houthi control in the capital. He remained adamant, however, that “Sana’a will not fall.” UN Special Advisor on Yemen Jamal Benomar similarly stated that the security situation in Sana’a “could lead to the collapse of the Yemeni state and the end of the political transition.” Deputy Secretary General for the National Dialogue Afrah al-Zubh resigned her post Tuesday, citing the Sana’a violence and Yemeni citizens’ loss of pride in their state as the reason for her resignation. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 9/23/2014]
Al-Qaeda claims the capture of eight Houthis, US drone crashes in Shabwah
A source claimed Monday that al-Qaeda forces in Yemen captured eight Houthis in the town of al-Dali in Shabwah province Sunday, including the group’s director of political security in the region. An al-Qaeda source said that militant forces captured Mohammed Taher al-Shami and his two sons, in addition to five other fighters, after violent clashes over the weekend. Elsewhere in Shabwah, a source reported that a US drone crashed Tuesday morning in a mountainous area in the Beihan directorate. Witnesses said that the drone crashed after hitting a mountain, and that military and tribal forces quickly surrounded the aircraft to protect it from onlookers. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 9/23/2014]
ISIS attack on Iraqi base leaves hundreds missing, shows army weaknesses
Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) militants launched a brazen assault on an Iraqi army base in western Anbar killing an estimated 250 soldiers, leaving 300 to 500 unaccounted for and expected dead, kidnapped or in hiding. Survivors of the Camp Saqlawiyah assault explained that ISIS militants entered the base under the guise of Iraqi counterterrorism forces, detonated two armored vehicles rigged with explosives, as groups of heavily armed fighters streamed out of neighboring buildings and overrun the base. An Iraqi military spokesman, however, put the death toll at about forty and said that only sixty-eight soldiers were missing. This incident raises pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose opponents have accused of a soft-handed approach to terrorists. [The Washington Post, 9/23/2014]
Gaza truce negotiations resume in Cairo
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators began indirect talks in Cairo Tuesday for a long-term Gaza truce, hours after Israeli soldiers killed two suspects in the June murder of three Jewish teenagers. Palestinian officials threatened to withdraw from the talks after the Israeli military operation in Hebron but indicated that negotiations would continue after the Eid al-Adha holiday. The meeting comes almost a month after both sides agreed to halt a devastating fifty-day war in Gaza and hold subsequent negotiations on key Palestinian demands for a lasting ceasefire. [Naharnet, 9/23/2014]
ISIS militants threaten US alliance in second video featuring a British citizen
The Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has released a new video featuring a man who appears to be the captive British photojournalist John Cantlie. It warns citizens of the alliance supporting US-led alliance military operations in Iraq and Syria that the foray will become a quagmire like Vietnam. The video, which is the second in a series that appears to use Mr. Cantlie as a captive spokesman for the organization, was released via the jihadist group’s media outlets hours after the US and several Middle Eastern allies conducted their first airstrikes against the militants inside Syria. [The Wall Street Journal, 9/23/2014]
Jordan confirms participation in Syrian air strikes
The Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani, confirmed Tuesday that the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) and Royal Jordanian Air Force had conducted air strikes as part of a US-led offensive against terrorist groups inside Syria. The JAF released a statement but did not indicate the name of the targeted groups or the locations of the air strikes. The statement, however, confirmed that Jordanian fighter jets had destroyed a number of terrorist targets and safely returned to their bases. [The Jordan Times, 9/23/2014]