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OIC Urges Washington to Re-designate Houthis as a Terrorist Group

The United States' failure to designate the Houthi group as a terrorist organization encourages the militias to commit more crimes (File/Asharq Al-Awsat)
The United States' failure to designate the Houthi group as a terrorist organization encourages the militias to commit more crimes (File/Asharq Al-Awsat)
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OIC Urges Washington to Re-designate Houthis as a Terrorist Group

The United States' failure to designate the Houthi group as a terrorist organization encourages the militias to commit more crimes (File/Asharq Al-Awsat)
The United States' failure to designate the Houthi group as a terrorist organization encourages the militias to commit more crimes (File/Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly denounced on Monday the military escalation by the Houthi militias against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

It urged the US to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist group pursuant to the UN Security Council Resolution 2624.

The OIC warned that the US failure to do so encourages the group to commit more crimes against civilians in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

It also stressed the need to put an immediate end to such aggressive acts and prevent their recurrence in the future, calling for a political process that could restore stability and security in Yemen.

"The Houthis persistence in hostile acts poses a real threat to peace, security and stability in the region and the world at large," said an OIC statement.

The statement further hailed the efforts exerted by the Saudi-led Coalition Forces to help deliver humanitarian aid to impoverished people in Yemen.

It also reaffirmed its support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in their efforts to protect the safety of civilian life and property in both countries.

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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)
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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.