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Iraqi Army Kills 3 Terrorists in Diyala

A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
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Iraqi Army Kills 3 Terrorists in Diyala

A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)

Three terrorists were killed in two airstrikes launched by Iraqi forces within the Diyala Operations Sector, the Iraqi Security Media Cell (SMC) said in a statement on Sunday.

“Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out two airstrikes killing three terrorists and injuring another, in addition to destroying a cave in the Zarlouk area in the Hamrin mountains,” the Cell said.

The operation was conducted thanks to accurate intelligence data received from the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS), in coordination with the targeting cell in the Joint Operations Command.

"The security forces, with their various formations, are determined to continue their qualitative and preemptive operations against the remaining defeated terrorist elements in the mountains and deserts," SMC stressed.

Separately, a Turkish soldier was killed and another was injured on Saturday in a military operation against Kurdish fighters in the north of Iraq, Turkey’s defense ministry reported.

It brings to seven the number of Turkish troops killed in the region since Tuesday.

The Ministry said the incident happened when an explosive device went off while Turkish soldiers were passing near it.

Turkey is conducting several operations in Iraq and Syria against the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) that Ankara considers a terrorist organization.

In mid-April, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock to target PKK hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions.

The operation was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists who hide in northern Iraq and plot cross-border attacks in Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently announced that his country was about to launch a new military operation against the PKK in northern Syria aimed at creating a 30- kilometer security zone along the border.

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Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure’ on Egypt Over Nile Dam

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi Steps Up Criticism of Ethiopia, Rejects ‘Pressure’ on Egypt Over Nile Dam

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday stepped up his criticism of Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), built on the Nile’s main tributary, which Cairo fears will threaten its water supply.

He rejected what he described as “unilateral measures” along the Nile Basin, warning: “Anyone who thinks Egypt will turn a blind eye to threats to its water security is mistaken.”

Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo with visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Sisi said the water issue had become “part of a broader campaign of pressure on Egypt to achieve other objectives.”

“We will remain vigilant and will take all measures guaranteed under international law to safeguard our people’s existential resources,” he vowed.

Sisi stressed that Egypt does not oppose development in Nile Basin countries but insisted such projects must not affect the volume of water reaching Egypt. “The best way to deal with the Nile Basin is to respect everyone’s interests,” he said.

Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, under African Union mediation, have been stalled since April 2021, prompting Cairo to appeal to the UN Security Council for pressure on Addis Ababa.

Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 98% of its water, receives an annual quota of 55.5 billion cubic meters. It is already below the global water poverty line, with only 500 cubic meters per person annually, according to the Ministry of Irrigation.

Sisi noted that Egypt and Sudan together receive just 4% of the Nile Basin’s 1,600 billion cubic meters of water, amounting to 85 billion cubic meters.

“This is the only source of life for the two downstream states,” he said, adding that Egypt had never called for “fair water sharing”, which would mean dividing the entire basin’s volume.

Egypt hopes Uganda’s current chairmanship of the Nile Basin Initiative’s consultation mechanism can foster consensus among basin states.

The two leaders inaugurated the Egypt-Uganda Business Forum in Cairo and witnessed the signing of five agreements on water resources, agricultural cooperation and food security, investment, mutual visa exemptions for official passports, and diplomatic cooperation.

The talks come just weeks before Ethiopia plans to inaugurate GERD in September. Former Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Mohamed Hegazy said Cairo is counting on Kampala’s role in dam-related consultations.

Relations between Cairo and Kampala have been warming, with Uganda recently hosting a “2+2” dialogue between the foreign and water ministers of both countries. Sisi said Egypt views Uganda as a key partner in the southern Nile Basin and seeks to make it a primary beneficiary of Egypt’s development support mechanisms.