Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Friday that British pilots have conducted air strikes on targets in Syria while acting under the command of other military forces fighting the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) even though Britain’s Parliament has only approved strikes on Iraq. The Ministry of Defense made the admission in response to a Freedom of Information request by human rights group Reprieve. It released a statement saying, “The UK itself is not conducting air strikes in Syria… but we do have a long-standing embed program with allies, where small numbers of UK personnel act under the command of host nations.” British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon also announced Thursday that Britain would send another spy plane to fly over Iraq and Syria to take part in what he called a “new Battle of Britain.” The US military said on Thursday that the US-led coalition carried out thirty-one air strikes against ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, fifteen of which hit targets in Syria near Raqqa and Hasaka and sixteen of which targeted positions in Iraq near Falluja, Ramadi, and six other cities. [AP, Reuters, NYT, 7/17/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & THE GULF | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Interior Minister appoints new Cairo Security Director
Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar removed Major General Osama Bedeir from his position as the Cairo Security Director and appointed Major General Khaled Abdel Aal in his place Thursday. The replacement came after a series of militant attacks that security forces failed to curb. Bedair was appointed four months ago following a ministerial reshuffle that included a replacement of the Interior Minister. His removal comes amidst mounting concerns over a surge in militant violence. [DNE, Ahram Online, Cairo Post, 7/17/2015]
Seven killed in pro-Brotherhood protests; Morsi calls supporters to continue ‘revolution’
Protests broke out in some areas in Giza, leaving at least seven killed and fifteen arrested Friday morning, a representative from the Interior Ministry press office said. At least three people were reportedly injured. An official said that more than 500 supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood had staged a march after morning prayers following the end of the holy month of Ramadan. According to security officials, security forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters traded gunfire in the clashes. Skirmishes broke out between marchers on one side and several local residents and police on the other. It was the deadliest violence at Islamist protests in months in the capital. Clashes also broke out in Friday morning in Alexandria, and twenty protesters were arrested. Tear gas was used to disperse the protesters in Abu Suleiman, Hannoville, and Asafra. Earlier, the official Facebook page and Twitter account of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi published a message Thursday evening calling on his supporters to continue “the revolution.” The message was allegedly sent from prison where he is facing a death sentence. [Ahram Online, Reuters, Aswat Masriya, The Guardian, DNE, AP, 7/17/2015]
Ajnad Misr claims Roxy Square bombing
Militant group Ajnad Misr claimed Thursday responsibility for the explosion in Roxy Square, which left one police officer injured. The police officer was injured after the bomb was detonated in the square, in the Cairo district of Heliopolis. The group claimed the bomb contained fewer explosives to minimize civilian casualties. Meanwhile a bomb exploded Friday in front of a cinema in Haram, while another was detected in the area of Talbiya in Giza, according to state media reports. The area is currently being combed for more explosive devices. A representative from interior ministry press office said there were no injuries, while local media reports said that at least two were injured in the blast. [DNE, 7/17/2015]
Sisi pardons 424 prisoners to mark Eid holiday
Egypt’s interior ministry released 424 prisoners on Friday and offered a conditional release to 101 others after they were issued with a presidential pardon, state news agency MENA reported. On Sunday, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree pardoning the prisoners to mark the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which begins on Friday, and the 56th anniversary of the 1952 revolution on July 26. Presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said those eligible for the pardon would include inmates who had served fifteen years in jail prior to January 25, 2015. The pardon also includes prisoners who have served half of their prison terms, if those terms are longer than six months. Meanwhile, a security source said that 130 prisoners would be released on the first day of Eid, among them twenty-three who are being held on charges of violating the protest law. [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya (Arabic), 7/17/2015]
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Tunisia’s Essebsi forewarns of military response to any possible attack on border fence with Libya
President Beji Caid Essebsi said in an interview, “Any possible attack against the fence which is being constructed on the Tunisian-Libyan border could have a military response.” Essebsi pointed out that this security fence is being constructed on the Tunisian territory about eight kilometers from the joint border with Libya. Essebsi asserted that he had asked for the assistance of seven other powerful countries to guarantee the protection of the Tunisian borders. He warned against the dangers of their infiltration into Tunisia of terrorists trained in Libya, recalling that the perpetrators of the Bardo and Sousse attacks were trained in Libya, as well as against arms trafficking. [All Africa/TAP, 7/16/2015]
Mayor of Nice pays solidarity visit to Tunis and Sousse
Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi said on Thursday that his two-day visit to Tunis and Sousse aims to express support and show solidarity with the Tunisian people. The visit comes within the framework of friendly relations binding the cities of Sousse and Nice for nearly thirty years, Christian Estrosi added at a press conference in the residence of France’s ambassador in Marsa after his meeting with President Beji Caid Essebsi. He added that the aim of this visit is also to support Tunisia’s efforts in promoting tourism. [All Africa/TAP, 7/17/2015]
European parliamentary delegation and representatives of European socialist parties visit Sousse
A European parliamentary delegation and members of the European socialist parties visited Tunisia on July 15 and 16 at the invitation of Ettakatol. They expressed their support to Tunisia in its war on terrorism after the recent terrorist attacks in Sousse. On Thursday, the European leaders voiced determination to boost coordination and consultation with Tunisia in economics and security. They expressed confidence in the ability of Tunisians to defend liberties and democracy, enshrined in the Tunisian constitution, despite the heavy blow to the tourism sector following the Sousse attack. [All Africa/TAP, 7/16/2015]
Tunisian cabinet met to discuss development in Sidi Bouzid
An inner cabinet meeting, which was held Thursday morning in Kasbah under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Habib Essid, discussed the issue of development in the region of Sidi Bouzid. A series of decisions for the governorate will be announced in a second inner cabinet meeting in the coming days. Thursday’s meeting focused on problems faced by the region, particularly the over-exploitation of water resources, farmland severances, the absence of attractive industrial zones in the different delegations, lack of infrastructure, and the delay in connecting the region to natural gas. [All Africa/TAP, 7/16/2015]
British pilots conducted airstrikes in Syria
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Friday that British pilots have conducted air strikes on targets in Syria while acting under the command of other military forces fighting the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) even though Britain’s Parliament has only approved strikes on Iraq. The Ministry of Defense made the admission in response to a Freedom of Information request by human rights group Reprieve. It released a statement saying, “The UK itself is not conducting air strikes in Syria… but we do have a long-standing embed program with allies, where small numbers of UK personnel act under the command of host nations.” British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon also announced Thursday that Britain would send another spy plane to fly over Iraq and Syria to take part in what he called a “new Battle of Britain.” The US military said on Thursday that the US-led coalition carried out thirty-one air strikes against ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, fifteen of which hit targets in Syria near Raqqa and Hasaka and sixteen of which targeted positions in Iraq near Falluja, Ramadi, and six other cities. [AP, Reuters, NYT, 7/17/2015]
Kurdish fighters besiege ISIS gunmen in Syria’s Hasaka
Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) fighters besieged members of ISIS on Thursday in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasaka and pushed forward into the city with the help of US-led coalition air strikes. YPG spokesman Mustafa Bali said that members of the YPG have cut off all the roads linking Hasaka with nearby ISIS strongholds and that Kurdish fighters captured a juvenile prison and power station south of Hasaka on Thursday. [Daily Star, 7/17/2015]
Syria’s Aleppo without water for three weeks
Residents and activists say that government and rebel-held parts of the Syrian city of Aleppo have been without safe water for nearly three weeks because the city’s only pumping station is not functioning. Some residents say that a lack of fuel has caused the problem, but a monitoring group reported that the Nusra Front, which has control of the pumping facility, shut it down. For the past twenty days, residents have been forced to purchase individual cisterns of unfiltered water or draw water from wells, which has led to a number of poisoning cases. [AFP, 7/17/2015]
ISIS punishes ninety-four for Ramadan violations
ISIS militants punished at least ninety-four people, including five teenagers, whom it accused of violations during Ramadan. Over the course of Ramadan, ISIS militants in the Syrian cities of Raqqa, Aleppo, and Deir Ezzor flogged, caged, or hung up the accused by their arms. All of the victims survived the punishments. [Reuters, 7/16/2015]
EU secures more funds for Syrian refugees
The European Union announced on Thursday that an additional 64 million euros in humanitarian assistance will be used to assist both internally displaced Syrians and Syrian refugees in host countries including Jordan. [Jordan Times, 7/16/2015]
Yemeni government declares city of Aden ‘liberated’
Khaled Bahah, Vice President of Yemen’s exiled government in Riyadh declared Friday that the southern port city of Aden was now under the control of Saudi-backed fighters after days of battling with the country’s dominant Houthi militia. Residents and local fighters said low-level clashes were continuing in the Tawahi district in the west of the city to sweep the Houthis from one of their last redoubts. “We congratulate the people of Aden and the Republic of Yemen as whole for what has been achieved in the last two days … The government announces the liberation of Aden province,” Bahah said on his official Facebook page. Once one of the world’s busiest ports, Aden sits near the Bab al-Mandab shipping lane, a major energy gateway for Europe, Asia, and the United States via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Despite the government’s success, on the Muslim feasting holiday of Eid, food and basic supplies were being blocked at Houthi checkpoints on the city’s outskirts, residents said. [Reuters, 7/17/2015]
Kerry meets with Saudi minister to address concerns over Iran deal
The Obama administration ramped up its campaign Thursday for support of the Iran nuclear deal at home and abroad, vowing to help defend Saudi Arabia and other allies from any surge in Iranian-backed unrest and lobbying skeptical members of Congress. After his first cabinet-level meeting with a Mideast partner since Tuesday’s accord, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States and its Arab partners in the Gulf were “committed to working together to push back against any extremist enterprises, including the activities of Iran in the region.” But his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, stopped short of endorsing the nuclear accord and said his country still has questions. Jubeir said his country is concerned Iran will use its newfound wealth to increase support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Hezbollah, and other forces it sees as destabilizing to the Middle East. “We hope that the Iranians will use this deal in order to improve the economic situation in Iran and to improve the lot of the Iranian people and not use it for adventures in the region,” he said. “If Iran should try to cause unrest in the region, we are committed to confront it resolutely.” [TDS, 7/17/2015]
Hamas chief and Saudi King meet to discuss Palestinian unity
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal and other top officials from the Palestinian militant group met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and senior Saudi leaders Friday, a Hamas source said, in the first meeting between the two sides for years. The meeting brought together top members of Hamas political wing with the Saudi king, crown prince and defense minister in a possible rapprochement between the conservative US-allied kingdom and the traditionally Iran-allied party. “The delegation discussed Palestinian unity and the political situation in the region. This meeting will hopefully develop relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia,” a source revealed. Relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia have improved since Salman assumed the Saudi throne in January and the Kingdom has taken on a newly assertive posture in the region. [Reuters, 7/17/2015]
Car explodes near Saudi prison in an ISIS-claimed attack
The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) claimed responsibility for a car bomb that exploded at a checkpoint near Saudi Arabia’s highest security prison at sunset Thursday, killing the driver and wounding two security officials, the Interior Ministry said. The driver triggered the blast after officers surrounded his vehicle south of the capital, Riyadh. The use of an explosive so close to a prison holding hundreds of Islamist detainees stokes fears of a growing threat of militancy in the world’s top oil exporter. In a statement posted online, ISIS claimed responsibility for the killing of the slain officer and the attack, celebrating the double operation. “The Muslim prisoners in Ha’er and everywhere should know that we won’t tire and we won’t rest until we end their detention, God willing,” the statement said. [Reuters, 7/17/2015]
Russia plans fuel shipments to Syria from Crimea
Russia plans to supply Syria with 200,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per year via the Crimean port of Kerch, two trading sources said. “There are talks about LPG to first be shipped to Kerch and then to Syria, about 200,000 tonnes per year,” one trader said. It was not immediately clear when fuel shipments would start. Sources said the LPG would initially be bought from Russia’s top petrochemical firm Sibur by state-connected traders, who would then ship it to Syria themselves. A spokesman for Sibur said the company had not and would not supply LPG to Syria and that it had not been in talks about LPG shipments to the country. [Reuters, 7/16/2015]
Iraq closes border to Jordan to deny ISIS access to funds
Iraq closed its border with Jordan until further notice, in part to deprive Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants of taxes they impose on cargo trucks driving through their territory, a senior Iraqi military official said Thursday. The closure dealt a new blow to Jordan’s fragile economy, which has suffered from the spillover of ISIS and grabs in neighboring Iraq and Syria. In the spring, Jordan closed its only trade crossing with Syria after Islamic militants seized the area from Syrian government forces. A spokesman for Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said on Thursday that authorities have closed the Trebil crossing until further notice, noting that ISIS has been imposing taxes on the goods crossing areas under its control. [New York Times, 7/17/2015]
UAE credit scoring service grows, lending impact still uncertain
Almost all Emirati banks are now using data from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) credit bureau that was launched in 2014, its CEO said, a development that analysts believe should boost confidence in the banking system. It also helps to put the UAE on a par with most developed markets, which have long had fully functioning credit bureaus. Some banks have accused others of dragging their heels in providing data to the bureau while others have complained about the bureau’s refusal to accept liability for the information it provides. In a country with an estimated average debt load of $95,000 per household and recent debt woes at several large companies, the government sees the bureau as a safeguard against a credit crisis. [Reuters, 7/16/2015]
Egypt says petroleum agreements worth $2.2 billion to be finalized soon
Nine petroleum agreements worth about $2.2 billion will be finalized soon, the Ministry of Petroleum said on Thursday. Minister of Petroleum Sherif Ismail said the agreements have been approved by the cabinet, in addition to new grants for oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean Sea, Suez, Delta and western desert areas. The nine agreements include an agreement with the Tunisian HBS international oil company for $9 million of investments in Egypt’s western desert and two agreements with the US Apache Corporation worth $70 million for exploration programs in the western desert and improvement of pipelines. Four agreements were also reached with the Italian oil company Eni. [Cairo Post, 7/17/2015]