Egypt, Pakistan Agree to Boost Cooperation in Fight Against Terrorism, Extremism

Egyptian President receives Pakistani Foreign Minister on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2021. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President receives Pakistani Foreign Minister on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2021. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Pakistan Agree to Boost Cooperation in Fight Against Terrorism, Extremism

Egyptian President receives Pakistani Foreign Minister on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2021. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President receives Pakistani Foreign Minister on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2021. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met on Wednesday with visiting Foreign Minister of Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry.

The two leaders discussed means of boosting security and economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as combining efforts to fight terrorism and extremism.

Qureshi conveyed to Sisi a message from Pakistani President Arif Alavi, inviting him to visit Pakistan and expressing Islam Abad's keenness to boost bilateral cooperation with Cairo.

The message also affirmed that the stability of Egypt is the pillar of stability in the Middle East and the Islamic world as a whole.

"Pakistan looks at the Egyptian development experience with appreciation and looks forward to benefiting from it in light of the similar situations in the two friendly countries and the common challenges facing them," the message read.

Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency said Sisi stressed that Egypt welcomes the development of bilateral cooperation and exchange of experience in various fields with Pakistan.

He also expressed Egypt’s keenness to enhance coordination and consultation with Pakistan on various regional issues of common interest, on top of which is combating terrorism and the extremist ideology.

The two leaders further highlighted means of exploring prospects for cooperation between Gwadar Port in Pakistan and the Suez Canal Economic Zone to establish industrial projects.

For his part, Shoukry also held separate talks with Qureshi.

"We've agreed to intensify cooperation in the coming stage to completely obliterate terrorism, whose confrontation requires consolidating international efforts," Shoukry told reporter in a joint press conference with Qureshi following their talks.



Five ISIS Bombs Found Hidden in Iconic Mosul Mosque in Iraq

(FILES) This picture taken on January 18, 2022 shows renovations at the al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken on January 18, 2022 shows renovations at the al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)
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Five ISIS Bombs Found Hidden in Iconic Mosul Mosque in Iraq

(FILES) This picture taken on January 18, 2022 shows renovations at the al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken on January 18, 2022 shows renovations at the al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)

A United Nations agency said it has discovered five bombs in a wall of Mosul's iconic Al-Nuri mosque, planted years ago by ISIS militants, during restoration work in the northern Iraqi city.

Five "large-scale explosive devices, designed to trigger a massive destruction of the site," were found in the southern wall of the prayer hall on Tuesday by the UNESCO team working at the site, a representative for the agency told AFP late Friday.

Mosul's Al-Nuri mosque and the adjacent leaning minaret nicknamed Al-Hadba or the "hunchback", which dates from the 12th century, were destroyed during the battle to retake the city from ISIS.

Iraq's army accused ISIS, which occupied Mosul for three years, of planting explosives at the site and blowing it up.

UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, has been working to restore the mosque and other architectural heritage sites in the city, much of it reduced to rubble in the battle to retake it in 2017.

"The Iraqi armed forces immediately secured the area and the situation is now fully under control," UNESCO added.

One bomb was removed, but four other 1.5-kilogram devices "remain connected to each other" and are expected to be cleared in the coming days, it said.

"These explosive devices were hidden inside a wall, which was specially rebuilt around them: it explains why they could not be discovered when the site was cleared by Iraqi forces" in 2020, the agency said.

Iraqi General Tahseen al-Khafaji, spokesperson for the Joint Operations Command of various Iraqi forces, confirmed the discovery of "several explosive devices from ISIS militants in Al-Nuri mosque."

He said provincial deminers requested help from the Defense Ministry in Baghdad to defuse the remaining munitions because of their "complex manufacturing".

Construction work has been suspended at the site until the bombs are removed.

It was from Al-Nuri mosque that Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the then-leader of ISIS, proclaimed the establishment of the group's "caliphate" in July 2014.