Jordan’s King Abdullah Stresses Importance of Preserving Iraq’s Unity

King Abdullah meets with the Iraqi parliament speaker in Amman. (AFP)
King Abdullah meets with the Iraqi parliament speaker in Amman. (AFP)
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Jordan’s King Abdullah Stresses Importance of Preserving Iraq’s Unity

King Abdullah meets with the Iraqi parliament speaker in Amman. (AFP)
King Abdullah meets with the Iraqi parliament speaker in Amman. (AFP)

Jordanian King Abdullah II reiterated the kingdom’s steadfast support for Iraq and its people, security and stability.

King Abdullah on Monday received Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi at the Basman Palace in Amman.

They discussed means of enhancing the deep-rooted ties between the two countries on all levels.

The meeting covered the outcomes of the recent Jordanian-Iraqi-Egyptian summit held in Baghdad and means of translating them on the ground.

It further discussed the latest regional developments, especially the Iraqi government’s efforts in countering terrorism.

The speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, Abdel Moneim Al-Awdat and his Iraqi counterpart said Monday that Jordan and Iraq need to build on the outcomes of the tripartite summit to further cement cooperation towards achieving strategic integration among the three brotherly countries.

King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met in Baghdad in June for a summit that focused on boosting security and economic ties between their countries.

Awdat said Jordan supports efforts to bolster Iraq’s stability, adding that the summit sets a new phase in joint cooperation to guarantee the security and stability of their countries and draw a road map for joint investment projects that meet the aspirations of their people.



Assad Loyalists Kill at Least 13 Police Officers in Ambush on Syrian Forces in Coastal Town

Vehicles of members of Syria's new authorities security forces block a road in al-Sanamayn, in the southern province of Daraa, during a reported large scale military campaign on March 5, 2025. (AFP)
Vehicles of members of Syria's new authorities security forces block a road in al-Sanamayn, in the southern province of Daraa, during a reported large scale military campaign on March 5, 2025. (AFP)
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Assad Loyalists Kill at Least 13 Police Officers in Ambush on Syrian Forces in Coastal Town

Vehicles of members of Syria's new authorities security forces block a road in al-Sanamayn, in the southern province of Daraa, during a reported large scale military campaign on March 5, 2025. (AFP)
Vehicles of members of Syria's new authorities security forces block a road in al-Sanamayn, in the southern province of Daraa, during a reported large scale military campaign on March 5, 2025. (AFP)

Gunmen ambushed a Syrian police patrol in a coastal town Thursday, leaving at least 13 security members dead and many others wounded, a monitoring group and a local official said.

The attack came amid tensions in Syria’s coastal region between former President Bashar Assad’s minority Alawite sect and members of armed groups. Assad was overthrown in early December in an offensive of opposition factions led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the ambush in the town of Jableh, near the city of Latakia, killed at least 16. Rami Abdurrahman, head of the monitoring group, said the gunmen who ambushed the police force are Alawites.

“These are the worst clashes since the fall of the regime,” Abdurrahman said.

A local official in Damascus told The Associated Press that 13 members of the General Security directorate were killed in the ambush. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release security information to the media.

Conflicting casualties figures are not uncommon in the immediate aftermath of attacks in Syria’s 13-year conflict that has killed half a million people.

The pan Arab Al-Jazeera TV broadcaster said its cameraman Riad al-Hussein was wounded while covering the clashes.

The SANA state-news agency reported that large reinforcements were being sent to the coastal region to get the situation under control.

The Syrian Observatory said helicopter gunships took part in attacking Alawite gunmen and Jableh and nearby areas. It added that fighters loyal to former Syrian army Gen. Suheil al-Hassan, also known as Tiger, took part in the attacks against security forces.

Tensions have been on the rise in Syria with reports of attacks by militants against Alawites who had led the rule in Syria for more than five decades under the Assad family.