Eurasia Security Watch: No. 346

Related Categories: Europe

SAUDI COALITION DEPLOYS 10,000 MORE SOLDIERS
A Saudi-led alliance to combat rebel Houthis in Yemen has deployed 10,000 additional troops to Yemen. The news comes after the confirmation of the deaths of at least 60 Gulf Arab soldiers on September 4, including forty five from the United Arab Emirates. A source close to the Qatari military says that Sudan has committed to sending 6,000 troops. Qatar has sent 1,000 Qatari troops for the first time, supported by 200 armored vehicles and 30 Apache helicopters. More Qatari troops will follow, with the goal of helping the Saudi coalition secure Jawf province. (Reuters September 8, 2015; Al Jazeera September 7, 2015)

EGYPT LAUNCHES OPERATION AGAINST ISIS IN SINAI
Egypt’s army claims to have launched a major military offensive against ISIS militants in the Sinai peninsula. The military reports 29 militants killed, two Egyptian soldiers dead and four soldiers wounded. The Egyptian military often reports large death tolls among militants but the numbers are difficult to verify. Under a new law, journalists face massive fines for reporting news that contradicts the army’s official statements. (Al-Arabiya September 8, 2015: The Times of Israel September 8, 2015)

RUSSIA BUILDS MILITARY BASE IN SYRIA
According to American intelligence officials, Russia is building a military base in Syria, in a clear indication of growing Russian support for Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Russian forces have set up an air traffic control tower and moved pre-assembled housing units for up to 1,000 personnel to an airfield near Latakia, a Syrian port city. Russia has requested permission to fly military cargo aircraft over neighboring countries during September. (The Telegraph September 5, 2015)

GREECE SEIZES SHIPMENT OF ARMS BOUND FOR LIBYA
The Hellenic Coast Guard released videos in which officers uncover a weapons and ammunition cache hidden aboard the Haddad 1. There were 5,000 shotguns and half a million rounds of ammunition hidden on the ship, which was bound for Libya. The ship set off from Iskenderun, a Turkish port around 30 miles from the Syrian border. The vessel was searched near Crete, and had a crew of seven, reportedly made up of Syrians, Egyptians, and Indians. (The Independent, September 6, 2015)

TURKISH GROUND TROOPS IN IRAQ
Turkish ground forces have crossed the border into Iraq for the first time in two years. The soldiers were in pursuit of Kurdish militants affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Government officials claim the foray was a short-term mission to find militants responsible for deadly attacks on Turkish border forces. Turkish air forces also launched a wave of airstrikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq. (BBC September 9, 2015)