Egypt, Jordan Conclude 'Aqaba 6' Joint Military Drill

Egyptian and Jordanian Armed Forces concluded Monday the Egyptian-Jordanian military drill "Aqaba 6"
Egyptian and Jordanian Armed Forces concluded Monday the Egyptian-Jordanian military drill "Aqaba 6"
TT

Egypt, Jordan Conclude 'Aqaba 6' Joint Military Drill

Egyptian and Jordanian Armed Forces concluded Monday the Egyptian-Jordanian military drill "Aqaba 6"
Egyptian and Jordanian Armed Forces concluded Monday the Egyptian-Jordanian military drill "Aqaba 6"

The Egyptian and Jordanian military forces concluded Monday the “Aqaba 6” joint military drill in Jordan.

Maritime, air, and ground forces from both countries participated in the exercises that took was attended by several leaders of the Egyptian and Jordanian armed forces.

“The final stage of the training included the implementation of a joint operation to eliminate an armed terrorist hotbed inside a border village," read a statement by the military spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces.

The Egyptian Thunderbolt Forces and the Jordanian Special Forces also carried out joint operations to resist armed terrorist elements stationed in the mountainous areas, the statement added.

The spokesman said that the training demonstrated the forces’ high capabilities in carrying out collective work.

The Egyptian and Jordanian Armed Forces launched the joint military drill in Oct 2019.



UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)

Britain unfroze the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities including banks and oil companies on Thursday, reversing sanctions imposed during Bashar al-Assad's presidency.

The West is rethinking its approach to Syria after opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group ousted Assad as president in December after more than 13 years of civil war.

"We are lifting asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people," a foreign office spokesperson said.

"At the same time, sanctions on members of the Assad regime and those involved in the illicit trade in captagon remain in place."

Captagon in an addictive amphetamine-like stimulant widely produced in Syria during Assad's rule.

A notice posted on the British government website said entities including the central bank, the Commercial Bank of Syria and the Agricultural Cooperative Bank had been delisted and were no longer subject to an asset freeze.

Syrian Arab Airlines, Syrian Petroleum Company, Syria Trading Oil Company (SYTROL) and Overseas Petroleum Trading were also among those delisted.

Syria's Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called repeatedly for the lifting of Western sanctions that were imposed to isolate Assad during the civil war.

Last month, the European Union eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank while keeping in place the sanctions. The US has said its sanctions on the central bank remain in place.

A Syrian government media official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.