King Salman Thanks Kuwait, Bahrain for Standing by Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz - SPA
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz - SPA
TT
20

King Salman Thanks Kuwait, Bahrain for Standing by Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz - SPA
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz - SPA

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Sunday thanked Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al Sabah for the measures their countries took in the diplomatic rift with Lebanon following offensive statements made by the Lebanese Minister of Information.

This came in a phone call the Saudi king held with Bahrain’s King and Kuwait’s Emir on Sunday.

During the separate phone calls, King Salman expressed his appreciation for the measures taken by each of Kuwait and Bahrain "towards the statement made by the Lebanese Minister of Information, which reflects the solidarity of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.”

For his part, Bahrain’s King Hamad “reiterated the depth of relations” between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and the cohesion of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.

Also, Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf said: “The measures taken by Kuwait affirm the unity of GCC countries.”



Qatari Mission Searches for Bodies of Americans Killed by ISIS in Syria

A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
TT
20

Qatari Mission Searches for Bodies of Americans Killed by ISIS in Syria

A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)

A Qatari mission has begun searching for the remains of US hostages killed by ISIS in Syria a decade ago, two sources briefed on the mission told Reuters, reviving a longstanding effort to recover their bodies.

ISIS, which controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq at the peak of its power from 2014-2017, beheaded numerous people in captivity, including Western hostages, and released videos of the killings.

Qatar's international search and rescue group began the search on Wednesday, accompanied by several Americans, the sources said. The group, deployed by Doha to earthquake zones in Morocco and Türkiye in recent years, had so far found the remains of three bodies, the sources said.

One of the sources - a Syrian security source - said the remains had yet to be identified. The second source said it was unclear how long the mission would last.

The US State Department had no immediate comment.

The Qatari mission gets under way as US President Donald Trump prepares to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar next week and as Syria's new rulers seek relief from US sanctions.

The Syrian source said the mission's initial focus was on looking for the body of aid worker Peter Kassig, who was beheaded by ISIS in 2014 in Dabiq in northern Syria. The second source said Kassig's remains were among those they hoped to find.

US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were among other Western hostages killed by ISIS. Their deaths were confirmed in 2014.

US aid worker Kayla Mueller was also killed in ISIS captivity. Her death was confirmed in 2015.

"We’re grateful for anyone taking on this task and risking their lives in some circumstances to try and find the bodies of Jim and the other hostages," said Diane Foley, James Foley's mother. "We thank all those involved in this effort."

Two ISIS members, both former British citizens who were part of a cell that beheaded American hostages, are serving life prison sentences in the United States.