Militant leaders from ISIS and the Nusra Front gathered at a farm house in northern Syria last week and agreed on a plan to stop fighting each other and work together against their opponents, according to a high-level Syrian opposition official and a rebel commander. ISIS and Nusra, which is al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, have fought each other bitterly for more than a year.
Battlefield dynamics, however, began to shift as the US-led coalition began heavy airstrikes across Islamist-held territory. Late last month, the two groups appeared to have curtailed their feud with informal local truces. Their new agreement would involve a promise to stop fighting and coordinate attacks in some areas of northern Syria. Cooperation, however, would fall short of unifying the rival groups and experts believe any pact between the two sides could easily unravel.
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Ministry of social solidarity says only seventeen NGOS registered before deadline
On Thursday, the ministry of social solidarity launched a hashtag on social media sites. The Facebook post announcing the hashtag is titled, “To protect our society, it’s our right to know civil society organizations’ sources of funding.” The ministry called on its followers to participate in the conversation using the hashtags, “Work with transparency and don’t fear,” and “Society wants to know the source of your funding.” The ministry also revealed that, in the past three months, only nine foreign and eight Egyptian organizations complied with a registration deadline set for November 10. [EGYNews (Arabic), Ahram (Arabic), 11/14/2014]
Masked men claim responsibility for attack on Damietta naval forces
A group of unidentified masked men claimed responsibility for an attack on a naval ship in the coastal city of Damietta yesterday in a video published on YouTube Friday morning. With a black flag hanging in the background, the five men identified themselves as “youth from the land of Kenanah,” a Quranic expression referring to Egypt. They directly addressed the Armed Forces, accusing the military of waging war against Islam. Meanwhile, according to state-run Al-Ahram, foreign “elements” took part in the attack. [Egypt Independent, Mada Masr, 11/14/2014]
Five Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis members killed, leading member arrested in North Sinai
Five members of the Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis were killed and seven others arrested on Friday at dawn during two military and police security campaigns in North Sinai, security sources said. Six other “extremists,” not belonging to the group, were also arrested. A leading member of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis was arrested on Thursday in a raid in the Sinai Peninsula, an army spokesman has said. The army said that it had also arrested twenty-five other terrorist suspects in North Sinai, Ismailia, Port Said and Daqahliya. [Aswat Masriya, Ahram Online, DNE, 11/14/2014]
Sisi discusses East Jerusalem with Jordan, Israel, and United States
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi joined in a conference call on Thursday afternoon with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, said Egypt’s presidency. Abdullah, Netanyahu and Kerry are currently meeting in Amman, Jordan, and Sisi spoke with them by phone, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef. The discussion on Thursday also included ideas to revive the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, where Sisi insisted on the importance of reaching a two-state solution. [Ahram Online, 11/13/2014]
For more in-depth Egypt news, please visit EgyptSource
UAE accuses Operation Libya Dawn of embassy bombing
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has accused Operation Libya Dawn of being behind the bombing of its embassy in Tripoli on Thursday. The UAE foreign minister blamed both Operation Dawn and Ansar al-Sharia, describing them as terrorists and demanding action. In Tripoli, Omar al-Hassi condemned the attacks and said that foreign countries taking part in the Libyan crisis would be taken to court. Egypt and the UAE have denied accusations that they are responsible for airstrikes against Islamist strongholds in Libya. Meanwhile, due to security concerns, Egypt announced plans to continue suspension of flights to Libya for at least another month. [Libya Herald, 11/14/2014]
House of Representatives appoints committee heads
In a sign of disregard for the controversial court ruling, effectively rendering the House of Representatives non-existent, the parliament appointed leadership for six of its political committees, including interior, finance, and energy. Nonetheless, the House is divided between members supporting and opposing dialogue. Talks held this past week between UN Special Representative Bernardino Leon and Nuri Abu Sahmain, former president of the old parliament, has exacerbated tensions, as many fear that the international community could be turning its back on them. [Libya Herald, 11/13/2014]
Captured soldier beheaded by militants in Derna
A fourth man has been beheaded in a execution by militants, filmed and posted on social media. The latest victim was a soldier with Khalifa Haftar’s Operation Dignity, though it is unclear when and how he was taken prisoner or where he was executed. The young man was filmed making a brief statement warning that others would meet the same fate if they did not abandon the fight against Ansar al-Sharia. His murder follows the beheading of three young Derna bloggers who had posted comments critical of Islamist militias on social media. [Libya Herald, 11/13/2014]
Militants threaten Tunisia’s presidential candidates as elections approach
Militants in Tunisia have threatened to assassinate at least two presidential candidates ahead of presidential elections on November 23. Security officials on Wednesday notified independent presidential candidate Mondher Zenaidi and head of the Free Patriotic Union Slim Riahi of threats made against their lives by members of the radical militant group Ansar al-Sharia. The officials confirmed the gravity of the threats levied but affirmed that both candidates would continue to receive the high level security provided to all presidential candidates during their campaigns. Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou also stressed that the ministry would work to protect the upcoming presidential election, just as it had secured the legislative poll in October. [All Africa, 11/13/2014]
Tunisia’s prime minister holds security talks with Moroccan counterpart in Rabat
Interim Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa met with Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkiran in Rabat on Thursday where both leaders discussed plans to strengthen cooperation on security and economic issues. The meeting was also attended by Tunisia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mongi Hamdi and the Tunisian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco. A statement released after the meeting noted that both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to implementing partnerships agreements signed by both countries in recent years. [TAP, 11/13/2014]
ISIS and Nusra reach accord in Syria
Militant leaders from ISIS and the Nusra Front gathered at a farm house in northern Syria last week and agreed on a plan to stop fighting each other and work together against their opponents, according to a high-level Syrian opposition official and a rebel commander. ISIS and Nusra, which is al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, have fought each other bitterly for more than a year. Battlefield dynamics, however, began to shift as the US-led coalition began heavy airstrikes across Islamist-held territory. Late last month, the two groups appeared to have curtailed their feud with informal local truces. Their new agreement would involve a promise to stop fighting and coordinate attacks in some areas of northern Syria. Cooperation, however, would fall short of unifying the rival groups and experts believe any pact between the two sides could easily unravel. [AP, 11/13/2014]
Pentagon considers US combat troop involvement in Iraq
Top Pentagon officials testifying on Capitol Hill on Thursday outlined conditions that they said could prompt a recommendation for greater US involvement in combat in Iraq. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emphasized that current plans do not provide for US soldiers taking any direct ground combat role in Iraq, but indicated that future conditions could required the insertion of US military advisers into combat zones. General Dempsey noted that future offensive efforts by Iraqi security forces to retake Mosul or reestablish control of the Iraq-Syria border–which could require as many as 80,000 Iraqi troops–might demand the deployment of US combat troops but emphasized that the final decision on such action had not been reached. [WSJ, 11/14/2014]
ISIS releases defiant audio message after leader is rumored dead
Dispelling rumors of his injury or death, the leader of ISIS issued a new call to arms on Thursday in a seventeen-minute speech, belittling President Obama’s plan to send more soldiers to Iraq and urging disciples to “erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere.” An audio recording of the speech by the leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was distributed online, along with Arabic, English, and Russian transcripts. Baghdadi’s speech appeared to end days of rumors that he had been killed or grievously wounded in an airstrike carried out in northwestern Iraq on Saturday. It was not clear precisely when the recording was produced, but it alluded to an event that took place on Monday, when an Egyptian militant organization pledged its loyalty to ISIS. [NYT, BBC News, Naharnet, 11/14/2014]
US coalition renews airstrikes on Nusra Front
US aircraft targeted the so-called Khorasan group in Syria on Thursday, in the third attack on the al-Qaeda offshoot in recent weeks. US Central Command confirmed the airstrikes but declined to provide further details on the locations and targets of the airstrikes. The Khorosan group, which is a department within the Nusra Front, has been targeted by US airstrikes on two prior occasions, with the latest airstrike killing a French bomb maker near Aleppo. [Naharnet, 11/14/2014]
Syria’s southern rebels emerge as possible US allies in fight against ISIS, Assad
With moderate rebels facing defeat by Al-Qaeda in Syria’s north, groups holding a corner of the south are seeking a higher profile and more help, as the last Western-backed forces holding out against both President Bashar Assad and the jihadis. The southern rebels say they are the last hope for a revolution hijacked by jihadis. In recent days they have laid out a transition plan for a Syria without Assad, taking on a political role that in the past they left to others. The southern provinces near the Jordanian border house rebels calling themselves the “Southern Front.” They still control territory and have managed to resist Assad while avoiding direct clashes with the Nusra Front. [Reuters/Daily Star, 11/14/2014]
Presidential aide says Houthis endorse the new government
Saleh al-Samad, a member of the Houthis appointed by President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi as a political advisor in September, welcomed the formation of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah’s new government. The Houthi political bureau criticized the thirty-six member cabinet announced last week by Hadi as “disappointing” and said some ministers did not meet the requirements stipulated by the September 21 peace and partnership agreement. “I commend the strength, bravery and prowess of the brother, the prime minister, and the capable ministers who are shouldering the responsibility at this sensitive period,” Samad wrote on his Facebook page. [Reuters, 11/13/2014]
More than seventy Houthis, ten tribesmen killed in Bayda Thursday and Friday
Tribal sources reported over seventy Houthi militants killed Thursday and Friday in clashes with tribesmen in Bayda province’s village of Khabza. Khabza is located near the town of Rida, where the Houthis have been fighting al-Qaeda and tribal forces for weeks. The Houthis were eventually took Khabza using tanks and rocket launchers. They forced tribal forces to retreat from the village’s center to the outskirts, though not before an ambush Friday killed twenty-five. Ten tribesmen were reported killed in the clashes. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 11/14/2014]
Saleh: I do not want to return to power, there are no issues between the Houthis and me
Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh said in an interview that he is not seeking a return to power in Yemen, and that he does not have any conflict with the Houthi group. Saleh is believed by some to have collaborated in the Houthi’s rapid rise to power in September through his ties to Yemen’s military. When asked about the Houthis’ alleged relationship with Iran, Saleh said, “These [ties] are excuses. The Houthis are Yemenis … the defect is in the weakness of the management of the country’s affairs.” He also added that he was not troubled by the US or UN sanctions, saying “if they [the United States] have documents or evidence why don’t they submit them?” [Al Masdar (Arabic), 11/13/2014]
GCC leaders to hold emergency meeting in Riyadh
A Gulf source said that an emergency meeting of the leaders of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is expected to be held next week in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, to discuss resuming talks on ending the diplomatic rift between Qatar and its neighbors. The anonymous source said the meeting will discuss rapprochement efforts between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain in particular. This news comes after a meeting between the GCC foreign ministers was canceled earlier this week. The growing tensions within the GCC threatened to prevent the organization’s annual meeting scheduled for next month, which is due to be hosted by Qatar. The source said the summit would still be held on schedule. [Asharq al-Awsat, 11/12/2014]
ISIS leader urges attacks against Saudi Arabia
ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called for attacks against the rulers of Saudi Arabia in a speech purported to be in his name on Thursday, saying his self-declared caliphate was expanding there and in four other Arab countries. In Washington on Thursday, a State Department spokeswoman said she could not confirm the recording’s authenticity. The voice sounded similar to a previous speech delivered by Baghdadi in July in a mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul, the last time he spoke in public. However, it follows contradictory accounts out of Iraq about whether al-Baghdadi was wounded in an air raid last Friday. [Reuters, 11/13/2014]
Output reached one million barrels a day, says Libya’s Tripoli oil minister
The oil minister in the rival Tripoli government says oil output reached one million barrels per day (bpd) “in recent days” but that it has dipped to 800,000 bpd due to closures at a number of fields, though sources at the National Oil Corporation and previous data suggest production is closer to 500,000 bpd. The Tripoli government has been tightening its grip on state institutions, and forces allied with it are said to have captured the 340,000 bpd El Sharara field. Meanwhile, according to one source, the 120,000 bpd Hariga port has reopened with a tanker loading at the terminal on Thursday after state security guards ended protests there. [Libya Monitor (subscription), 11/14/2014]
Rising unemployment hits young Moroccans
According to a government report by the High Commission for Planning, unemployment in Morocco rose during the latest quarter bringing the total national figure to 1.14 million. Unemployment rose from 9.1 percent to 9.6 percent nationwide. The biggest increase occurred among youth between 15 and 24 in both urban and rural areas. Mohamed Boussaid, the minister of the economy and finance, says the government was determined to make employment a key priority in Morocco’s budget next year. [AllAfrica, 11/13/2014]
Egypt said to repay debts to foreign oil companies
According to the Egyptian oil ministry, Egypt plans to repay all of the $4.9 billion debt owed to foreign oil and gas companies within six months. The ministry expects to borrow $2 billion to help finance the repayments as it seeks to pay back 60 percent of the arrears by year-end. A gas shortage has left Egypt struggling with the worst energy crisis in years, diverting gas export to meet domestic demands. [Reuters, 11/13/2014]
Iraq and Kurds reach deal on oil exports and budget payments
Iraq’s central government and the autonomous region of Kurdistan reached an interim agreement over oil exports and budget payments. The agreement stipulates that the central government will pay $500 million to the Kurdistan Regional Government while the Kurds will let the Iraqi government sell 150,000 bpd of the oil exported by the Kurds. This agreement is expected to temporarily ease the tensions between the two parties which began earlier this year when Kurdish officials exported oil produced in the Kurdish region directly to Turkey without going through the Iraqi oil ministry. [NYT, 11/13/2014]