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☆ Why Qatar is unlikely to withdraw from the Gaza hostage-ceasefire talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Qatar hosts Hamas’ political office, but it is also home to a 10,000-troop US military base. Experts say it is unlikely Qatar will end its mediation role. Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani gives a press conference with his Turkish counterpart in Doha on Wednesday. And on Monday, Democratic US Congressman Steny Hoyer accused Qatar of “blocking” progress in the talks. The Gulf state was also a Major Non-NATO Ally, as well as key energy supplier to Western states.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, ” Al Thani, “, ”, Anna Jacobs, “ They’ve, ” Jacobs, Daniel Shek, ” Shek, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Karim Jaafar, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Majid Al Ansari, Netanyahu, James Comer, General Merrick Garland, Steny Hoyer, Jacobs, Joe Biden, NATO Ally Organizations: UAE CNN, Foreign, United States Congress, US, Qatar, Group, CNN, ”, Qatar's, Turkish, Wednesday, Qatari, Hamas, Washington DC, Democratic, Al Udeid, Al Udeid Air Base, NATO Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Qatar, Doha, United States, Washington, Egypt, Gaza, Gulf, Brussels, Israeli, ” Qatar, Thani, AFP, Qatari, Al Udeid Air

☆ Iran-backed groups in the Middle East and major US military deployments
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The US has attacked Iranian-backed groups in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, while Iran-linked groups have targeted American personnel in Iraq and Syria. The US, having been trying to pivot away from the Middle East for years, finds itself drawn back into the region. And in some places, including Iraq and Syria, the US military presence overlaps that of Iran and its allies. The US has around 13,500 US forces in Kuwait, the largest American military presence in the region. The US this month quietly reached an agreement that extends its military presence for another 10 years at the base.

Persons: Yemen’s, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Harakat, Sayyid, Al, Haq, Asad, Bashar al, Assad, Israel, Ali, Dalton Williams Organizations: UAE CNN, Hamas, Islamic, Navy, Marine Expeditionary Unit, Institute for National Security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, National Intelligence, Badr Organization, Asad Air Base, Erbil AB, Al, Force, Fatemiyoun, ISIS, Syria Security, Syrian Democratic Forces, Syrian Free Army, CNN, Gaza, US Air Force, Battalion, 163rd Cavalry Regiment, Ali Al Salem Air Base, U.S . Air Force, Washington, United Arab, US, Udeid, Base, Forward Headquarters, Combined Air Operations Centre, Prince Sultan Air Base, UAE, Al Dhafra, Al Dhafra Air Base, Gulf Air Warfare Center, US Naval Forces Central Command Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Iran, US, Iranian, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, Pakistan, Islamic Republic, Washington, Lebanon Lebanon, East, Lebanon, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iraq Tehran, Baghdad, Al, Erbil, Syria Iran, Syrian, Pakistani, ”, Red, Saudi, Yemen’s, Kuwait, U.S, Palestinian, Arab, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Doha, Al Dhafra Air, Bahrain, Jordan, Incirlik

The U.S. strikes reflect the Biden administration's determination to maintain a delicate balance. According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 12 attacks on U.S. bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since Oct. 17. According to the Pentagon, all the U.S. personnel hurt in the militant attacks received minor injuries and all returned to duty. Such retaliation and strikes against Iranian targets in Syria after similar attacks on U.S. bases are routine. In March, for example, the U.S. struck sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after an Iranian-linked attack killed a U.S. contractor and wounded seven other Americans in northeast Syria.

Persons: Pat Ryder, Asad, Tanf Garrison, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Austin, won’t, Ryder, ”, Israel Organizations: WASHINGTON, Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, U.S, Hamas, Air Force, Hamasa, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Udeid, Base, Islamic, Patriot, Area Defense, Fort Liberty, Patriots Locations: Syria, U.S, Iraq, Asad Airbase, Iranian, United States, Gaza, Israel, Ahli, Tel Aviv, America, American, Qatar, Deir el, ., Fort Bliss , Texas, Fort, North Carolina, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, East

☆ US Air Force special operators' search for new runways is expanding from highways to beaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The growing reach of the Chinese military has the US Air Force worried about its bases. Air Force special operators are widening the search, seeking more roads and even beaches to land on. AdvertisementAdvertisementA Royal Air Force Atlas A400M lands on a beach during at Pembrey Sands in Wales in June 2023. Royal Air ForceNew technology and eventually new aircraft are also helping to expand Air Force Special Operations Command's "runway-agnostic options." Air Force officials say that capability allows the MQ-9s to go to more bases and reduces the number of airmen needed for support.

Persons: Tony Bauernfeind, Bauernfeind, Al Udeid, Kenneth Wilsbach, we're, Command Bauernfeind, We're Organizations: US Air Force, Air Force, Service, Force Special, Command, The Air Force, Agile, Employment, Pacific, Air Force Special Operations Command, Operations Command, Air and Space Forces Association, Christopher Quail, US Air Forces, Royal Air Force Atlas, Royal Air Force, US Air Force Special, DARPA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Europe, Washington, Bagram, Kandahar, Balad, Al, Tinian, Palau, Michigan, Wyoming, Texas, Pembrey Sands, Wales

☆ A US Air Force spy plane built in 1962 had to make an emergency landing in Qatar. It's the latest in a string of incidents for the ancient fleet of aircraft.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A US Air Force spy plane flying for the 55th Wing made an emergency landing in Qatar on Monday. The US Air Force did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. It eventually joined the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base outside of Omaha in 1981 and is still flying more than 40 years later. The Air Force stands behind its incident-prone fleetThe Air Force says it plans to make upgrades to its RC-135 fleet, expecting the planes to fly for another 20 to 30 years. "I have complete confidence in flying this aircraft," 55th Wing vice commander Col. David Berg told the World-Herald in 2018.

Persons: it's, —, Michael Andrews, Steve Lynes, Qatar —, Heather Wilson, Wilson, Frank Strickler, Al Udeid, We've, Todd Feeback, John Rauch, David Berg Organizations: US Air Force, Wing, Service, Boeing, OMAHA, Air Force, Soaring, KC, US Air Forces Central Command, Herald, Offutt Air Force Base, Air, FAA, American Airlines, Al Udeid, Base, Kansas City Star, Tribune, Getty, Air Force Safety Center Locations: Qatar, Wall, Silicon, Bahrain, Nebraska, Omaha, England, Greece, Japan, Persian

☆ The US is quietly warning its Middle East partners about the cost of stocking up on Chinese-made weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese arms sales in the Middle East have increased by 80% over the past decade, a result of Beijing's expanding relationships there and its willingness to deliver arms faster and with fewer stipulations than Washington. FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty ImagesMiddle Eastern countries, led by the Arab Gulf states, have for decades been major buyers of US-made weapons. Chinese arms sales to the region are "substantial and expected to continue to increase," said Ahmed Aboudouh, an associate fellow at Chatham House. "But it's just one factor among many, including varying threat perceptions of Iran among the Arab Gulf states as well as varying levels of trust between the Arab Gulf governments themselves." Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history.

Persons: Michael Kurilla, Kurilla, Loong, KARIM SAHIB, Colin Kahl, Biden, Kahl, We're, FAYEZ NURELDINE, Ahmed Aboudouh, Aboudouh, James Hodgman, Russia's, ANDREW CABALLERO, REYNOLDS, Emily Hawthorne, RANE, that's, Hawthorne, Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, Xi, ANDY WONG, Kahl's, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, US Central Command, Senate Armed Services Committee, Dubai Airshow, Getty, Chatham House, Pentagon, Getty Images, United Arab Emirates, Patriot, Al Udeid, Base, US Air Force, Tech, Air Defense, Turkey, NATO, East, Khalifa, UAE, US, Abu Dhabi Crown, Gulf Cooperation Council Locations: China, Washington, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, AFP, British, Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, East, North Africa, Qatar, Russia, Europe, Gulf, UAE, Yemen, Ankara, Turkey, Prince, Xinhua, Khalifa, Abu, Arab Gulf, Iran

☆ Russian jamming may have hamstrung a US-made bomb kit being used in Ukraine, leaked documents say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaked Pentagon documents highlighted concerns about the Joint Direct Attack Munition weapon. The American-made bomb kit used by Ukraine may have been hamstrung by Russian jammers. One document in particular highlights concerns about US-made bomb kits which have been sent to Ukraine in recent months. One factor is the bomb fuses aren't arming at their release, which Ukraine's air force has worked to fix. Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThe Pentagon documents first became public last week and circulated through social media platforms like Discord, Twitter, and Telegram.

☆ Relief Efforts in Turkey, Syria Face Logistical Hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Aid groups and logistics operators worldwide are ramping up urgent relief efforts for victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria but say moving supplies through the region’s devastated infrastructure will be a major challenge. Mr. Hovey said Direct Relief plans to fly supplies to airports at Istanbul in northwestern Turkey and at Adana in southeastern Turkey, close to the disaster zone. Many U.S. charities without aid operations in Syria and Turkey are now planning relief efforts, said Kathy Fulton, executive director of American Logistics Aid Network, which coordinates aid efforts among logistics operators following disasters. Aid groups are mostly focused on getting relief to Turkey and Syria by plane. He said the demand for air charters is also starting to make it harder and more expensive to secure space for aid and relief efforts in other parts of the world, such as Ukraine.

☆ Lawmakers explain why they went to Qatar for the World Cup despite human rights concerns: 'There are no perfect countries'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup has been controversial, given the country's human rights record. The congresswoman also suggested that the 2026 World Cup may prompt similar conversations about human rights abuses in North America. "We are slated to host the World Cup next with Mexico and Canada," she said, referring to the 2026 World Cup. "The spotlight of the World Cup has caused Qatar to make a lot of important reforms to their employment law." According to Human Rights Watch, LGBTQ people have been subjected to arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment in detention.

☆ An Afghan refugee who lifted his wife and toddler onto a C-17 military plane to flee Kabul tells the harrowing story of how they arrived safely in the US
▼ + stars: | 2021-08-23 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Thousands of Afghan refugees have evacuated Kabul amid the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. He was one of thousands who flooded the airport that Sunday evening, desperate to flee the country in fear of a Taliban government. Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua via GettyThe Taliban's swift capture of Kabul triggered a collapse of the Afghan government and forced a frenzied evacuation of Americans and Afghan refugees amid the US's military pullout of the 20-year war in Afghanistan. Transit in Qatar and arrival to the USThe American C-17 aircraft landed in an air base in Qatar. Afghan refugees in the US are being housed at military bases in Virginia, Wisconsin, and Texas before being resettled across the country.

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