Egypt Says Foreign Troops Must Leave Libya

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with the Russian Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, in Moscow (Egypt's Foreign Ministry)
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with the Russian Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, in Moscow (Egypt's Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt Says Foreign Troops Must Leave Libya

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with the Russian Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, in Moscow (Egypt's Foreign Ministry)
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with the Russian Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, in Moscow (Egypt's Foreign Ministry)

Egypt reiterated that all foreign forces must leave Libyan territories, rejecting any foreign presence in the country.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed with the Russian Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, in Moscow bilateral relations and international and regional developments.

Shoukry said Egypt supports the roadmap set by Libyans, reiterating the importance of the planned presidential and parliamentary elections.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said that Shoukry stressed the need for all foreign forces to leave Libya.

Shoukry also discussed with the Russian official recent Palestinian developments and Egypt's continuous efforts to revive the peace process.

They also addressed Cairo's current efforts to support reconstruction efforts in the Palestinian territories.

Cairo attaches great importance to the pullout of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya, which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has stressed in most of his meetings with foreign officials.

In a meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) on Libya last week, Shoukry stressed that the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya has an impact on its national security and the security of its Arab neighbors.

He said that the international community had not taken firm measures to end the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries in country.

"Egypt warned more than a year ago of the consequences of the continuation of the armed conflict in Libya and that it may have to take measures to protect its national security and preserve the balance of power if it was disrupted," he added.

Shoukry reiterated Egypt's call for the "unconditional, simultaneous, and coordinated exit."



Syria Authorities Say Torched 1 Million Captagon Pills

A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Syria Authorities Say Torched 1 Million Captagon Pills

A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)
A man throws a bag onto a pile of burning illicit drugs, as Syria's new authorities burn drugs reportedly seized from a security branch, in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (AFP)

Syria's new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

Captagon is a banned amphetamine-like stimulant that became Syria's largest export during the country's more than 13-year civil war, effectively turning it into a narco state under Assad.

"We found a large quantity of captagon, around one million pills," said a balaclava-wearing member of the security forces, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Osama, and whose khaki uniform bore a "public security" patch.

An AFP journalist saw forces pour fuel over and set fire to a cache of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol, and around 50 bags of pink and yellow captagon pills in a security compound formerly belonging to Assad's forces in the capital's Kafr Sousa district.

Captagon has flooded the black market across the region in recent years.

"The security forces of the new government discovered a drug warehouse as they were inspecting the security quarter," said another member of the security forces, who identified himself as Hamza.

Authorities destroyed the stocks of alcohol, cannabis, captagon and hashish in order to "protect Syrian society" and "cut off smuggling routes used by Assad family businesses", he added.

- Manufacturing sites -

Since an opposition alliance toppled Assad on December 8 after a lightning offensive, Syria's new authorities have said massive quantities of captagon have been found in former government sites around the country, including security branches.

AFP journalists in Syria have seen fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group set fire to what they said were stashes of captagon found at facilities once operated by Assad's forces.

Security force member Hamza confirmed Wednesday that "this is not the first initiative of its kind -- the security services, in a number of locations, have found other warehouses... and drug manufacturing sites and destroyed them in the appropriate manner".

Maher al-Assad, a military commander and the brother of Bashar al-Assad, is widely accused of being the power behind the lucrative captagon trade.

Experts believe Syria's former leader used the threat of drug-fueled unrest to put pressure on Arab governments.

Jordan in recent years has cracked down on the smuggling of weapons and drugs including captagon along its 375-kilometer (230-mile) border with Syria.