عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Jordan's King to Meet with Biden in Washington on Friday

King Abdullah II of Jordan stands for a photo with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 10, 2022. (AFP)
King Abdullah II of Jordan stands for a photo with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 10, 2022. (AFP)
TT
TT

Jordan's King to Meet with Biden in Washington on Friday

King Abdullah II of Jordan stands for a photo with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 10, 2022. (AFP)
King Abdullah II of Jordan stands for a photo with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 10, 2022. (AFP)

Jordan's King Abdullah II will visit Washington on Friday for talks with US President Joe Biden.

The trip "will reinforce the close friendship and enduring partnership between the United States and Jordan," the White House said in a statement.

"Jordan is a critical force for stability in the Middle East and strategic partner and ally of the United States," it added.

The visit will be King Abdullah's second to Washington since Biden took office, following talks between the monarch and the president in July 2021.

At that time, Biden stressed his long-standing relationship with the king, noting that it goes back decades, to when King Abdullah's father ruled Jordan.

This week's trip comes during a series of anti-Israeli attacks that has left dozens dead since late March, among them Palestinian and Arab-Israeli perpetrators.

King Abdullah appealed last month for "calm" between the two sides.

Sources at the White House said talks between King Abdullah and Biden will discuss the tensions and ways to calm the situation.

They will tackle bilateral ties and the impact Russia's war on Ukraine is having on the Middle East.

King Abdullah will also meet with senior administration officials and Congress leadership; as well as members of the Senate Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Armed Services committees; and members of the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, and the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee at the House of Representatives, reported Jordan's state news agency Petra.

Biden is slated to visit Israel in June at the invitation of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He is set to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Iraqi Forces Kill ISIS ‘Deputy Ruler’ of Kirkuk

A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
TT
TT

Iraqi Forces Kill ISIS ‘Deputy Ruler’ of Kirkuk

A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)
A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces searches for ISIS members in the Nineveh province. (AFP)

Iraqi forces launched a military operation to eliminate remaining ISIS cells in the Zaghitoun Valley, located between the Kirkuk and Saladin governorates.

The Joint Operations Command said in a statement that airstrikes killed ISIS’ deputy ruler of Kirkuk Maher Hamad Salbi (Abu Obaida) and six of his associates in the Hamrin mountains.

The statement added that Iraqi F-16 jets targeted a key hideout of the militants, who had attempted to attack the forces carrying out the mission.

A special forces unit, with technical support from the Joint Operations Command’s Targeting Cell, reached the site with assistance from Kirkuk Operations Command's engineering efforts.

“A security force arrived at the scene and found an M16 rifle, a thermal scope, two hand grenades, a suicide belt, four ammunition magazines, six mobile phones, a flash drive, a solar panel, and bedding,” the statement added.

The team returned safely after completing the mission.

The statement said security forces surrounded a complex of caves and hideouts in the Hamrin mountains for five days, using precise intelligence to successfully eliminate the remaining ISIS members.

An official source stated that “security forces from the Kirkuk Operations Command launched a large-scale military operation on Friday morning in the Zaghitoun Valley, west of Kirkuk, near Saladin.”

The operation aims to remove ISIS cells in the valley, which has been used by the group as a hideout and occasionally sees terrorist activity. The operation includes destroying ISIS hideouts and cutting off escape routes.

Although the Iraqi government declared ISIS defeated in 2017, the group remains active in remote areas, still posing a security threat. The UN estimates the number of ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria at between 1,500 and 3,000.