عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

UN Aid Chief to Travel to Region to Assist in Gaza Aid Negotiations 

A UN-flagged fuel truck moves towards border crossing, amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2023. (Reuters)
A UN-flagged fuel truck moves towards border crossing, amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2023. (Reuters)
TT
TT

UN Aid Chief to Travel to Region to Assist in Gaza Aid Negotiations 

A UN-flagged fuel truck moves towards border crossing, amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2023. (Reuters)
A UN-flagged fuel truck moves towards border crossing, amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2023. (Reuters)

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Monday he would be travelling to the Middle East to support negotiations on getting aid into the blockaded Gaza Strip. 

Griffiths said his office was in "deep discussions" with Israel, Egypt and others. 

"I shall be going myself tomorrow to the region to try to help in the negotiations, to try to bear witness and to express solidarity with the extraordinary courage of the many thousands of aid workers who have stayed the course and who are still there helping the people in Gaza and in the West Bank," he said in a statement. 

A spokesperson for the United Nations humanitarian office said Griffiths was planning to be in Cairo on Tuesday and would travel to other locations in the region on a trip expected to last several days. 

The fate of aid deliveries and limited evacuations through the only entry to Gaza not controlled by Israel remained in doubt after Egyptian sources said a temporary truce was struck but Israel and Hamas said no deal was in place. 

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Pentagon Acknowledges There Are More than 2,500 US Troops in Iraq

A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
TT
TT

Pentagon Acknowledges There Are More than 2,500 US Troops in Iraq

A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)

The Pentagon acknowledged Monday that there are more than 2,500 US troops in Iraq, the total routinely touted publicly. It also said the number of forces in Syria has grown over the past “several years” due to increasing threats, but was not openly disclosed.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that there are “at least 2,500” US military personnel in Iraq “plus some additional, temporary enablers” that are on rotational deployments.

He said that due to diplomatic considerations, the department will not provide more specifics.

The US concluded sensitive negotiations with the government of Iraq in September that called for troops to begin leaving after the November election.

The presence of US troops there has long been a political liability for Iraqi leaders who are under increased pressure and influence from Iran.

US officials have not provided details about the withdrawal agreement, but it calls for the mission against the ISIS group to end by September 2025, and that some US troops will remain through 2026 to support the anti-ISIS mission in Syria. Some troops may stay in the Kurdistan region after that because the regional government would like them to stay.

Ryder announced last week that there are about 2,000 US troops in Syria – more than double the 900 that the US had acknowledged publicly until now.

On Monday he said the extra 1,100 would be deployed for shorter times to do force protection, transportation, maintenance and other missions. He said the number has fluctuated for the past several years and increased “over time.”