CAIRO: Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi sought Egypt’s support for efforts to tackle extremist militants in the region during a visit to Cairo on Saturday, his first trip abroad since taking office in October.
After meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Abdul Mahdi highlighted “the importance of drying up the sources of terrorism” and said “cooperation between Egypt and Iraq will be essential for this matter,” according to an official statement.
His comments came as US-backed forces said they had captured Daesh’s last shred of territory in eastern Syria at Baghouz, ending its territorial rule over a self-proclaimed caliphate straddling Syria and Iraq after years of fighting.
Though the defeat ends the group’s grip over the extremist quasi-state that it declared in 2014, it remains a threat.
Some Daesh fighters still hold out in Syria’s remote central desert and in Iraqi cities they have slipped into the shadows, staging sudden shootings or kidnappings and awaiting a chance to rise again.
The United States thinks the group’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, is in Iraq.
Defeating militants in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and restoring security after years of unrest has been a key promise of El-Sisi, the general-turned-president who came to power a year after the military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Mursi in 2013.
Egypt has fought an insurgency waged by a Daesh affiliate in North Sinai since 2013. Hundreds of members of the security forces have been killed.
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Security tops agenda as Iraqi PM visits Egypt in first foreign trip
Security tops agenda as Iraqi PM visits Egypt in first foreign trip
- After meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Abdul Mahdi highlighted “the importance of drying up the sources of terrorism”
- The visit to Egypt is Abdul Mahdi’s first trip abroad since taking office in October
Turkiye evaluating potential measures in event of Iran-US conflict, source says
- Iran and the United States resumed negotiations earlier this month as Washington builds up military capability in the Middle East
ANKARA: Turkiye is evaluating all aspects of potential measures that may be taken in the event of a conflict between its neighbor Iran and the United States, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday. Iran and the United States resumed negotiations earlier this month as Washington builds up military capability in the Middle East. Iran has threatened to strike US bases in the region if it is attacked, but Tehran’s top diplomat said on Tuesday that a deal with the US was “within reach” if diplomacy is prioritized. NATO member Turkiye, which shares a border with Iran to its east, has said it opposes any military intervention on Iran and does not want destabilization in the region. Ankara has been in contact with both sides to de-escalate tensions and called for a resolution of issues through diplomacy.
“Naturally, all aspects of the measures that could be taken in the event of a negative development are being evaluated,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“All scenarios are being considered; and steps that can be taken to ensure the safety of our citizens are being worked on,” the person said, but added any steps that would “violate Iran’s sovereignty” were “out of the question.”
The source did not provide details on what measures Turkiye was evaluating.
Earlier, the Turkish presidency’s office for countering disinformation denied media reports that Turkiye was planning to enter Iranian territory to stop a potential influx of refugees.
“Naturally, all aspects of the measures that could be taken in the event of a negative development are being evaluated,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“All scenarios are being considered; and steps that can be taken to ensure the safety of our citizens are being worked on,” the person said, but added any steps that would “violate Iran’s sovereignty” were “out of the question.”
The source did not provide details on what measures Turkiye was evaluating.
Earlier, the Turkish presidency’s office for countering disinformation denied media reports that Turkiye was planning to enter Iranian territory to stop a potential influx of refugees.
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