Saudi Arabia mourns war hero

October 2, 2016

Jeddah, Oct 2: The nation on Saturday mourned the loss of a Saudi security officer who laid down his life defending the border. At the same time, the Kingdom felt proud of its forces who foiled a massive Houthi attack on the southern border.

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Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said Cpl. Nader bin Ahmed Abdullah Ali was injured when projectiles launched by the Houthis landed in Twaal, Jazan on Thursday. He died before he could be rushed to hospital. Al-Turki said the Saudi border guards countered the attack in coordination with the Saudi ground forces.

Saudi forces on Saturday foiled a 9-hour attack launched by Houthi militants and militias loyal to deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh near Mawsem village in the Jazan region.

Saudi gunships, supported by members of the Saudi-led coalition, thwarted the attack that took place in a very unhelpful weather.

The battle resulted in the killing of a Houthi leader and over 40 militiamen. The Saudi gunfire destroyed their vehicles at their positions.

Mawsem village with a population of 500 people is situated at the Saudi-Yemeni border.

The coalition's warplanes continued the mop-up operation for 30 minutes after the battle ended, according to Al Arabiya.

Ahmad Bakil, a senior official of Yemen’s Popular Resistance Committees, said the Houthis try to put pressure on the coalition through border attacks.
The Houthis and their armed backers from the Saleh faction know their attacks cannot succeed, but attack nevertheless to cover up for their very poor military situation in Yemen, he explained.

Speaking to Arab News, Bakil said: "The Houthis try to improve their political standing by launching random attacks on Saudi borders to compensate for their losses in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition has hit the Houthi military infrastructure. The Houthis also lost many leaders in battles and their military capabilities have been destroyed.”

In another development, the Saudi-led force in Yemen said it rescued passengers on Saturday from a vessel being used by the UAE military that was attacked by the Houthis in a strategic Red Sea shipping lane.

“The coalition rescued civilians from a vessel targeted by Houthi militias ... that was transferring medical aid to the city of Aden and evacuating wounded civilians for treatment,” the coalition said in a statement to SPA.

The UAE military said on Saturday one of its vessels had been involved in an “incident” near the Bab Al-Mandab strait off Yemen’s southern coast but none of its crew had been hurt.

Separately, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a cinema in the port city of Aden on Saturday, killing one person and wounding three others, residents and a local official said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing in Aden's Crater district, which was carried out by an attacker wearing an explosive belt.

Terrorists, including Daesh, have exploited an 18-month civil war between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militias.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Mount Arafat, July 30: Muslim pilgrims converged Thursday on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.

A tight security cordon has been erected all around the foot of the rocky hill outside Mecca, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy.

Pilgrims, donning masks and observing social distancing, were brought in buses from neighbouring Mina, state television showed, as Saudi authorities impose measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

They were subject to temperature checks and attended a sermon -- which state media said was translated into 10 languages -- before they set off on the climb to the summit for hours of Koran recitals and prayers to atone for their sins.

The scene was strikingly different to last year's ritual when a sea of pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat, marshalled by tens of thousands of stewards in a bid to prevent any crushes.

After sunset prayers, pilgrims will make their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site where they will sleep under the stars to prepare for the final stage of hajj, the symbolic "stoning of the devil".

It takes place on Friday and also marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice.

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in this year's ritual, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"You are not our guests but those of God, the custodian of the two holy mosques (Saudi Arabia's King Salman) and the nation," Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten said in a video released by the media ministry on Wednesday.

Security cordon

A security cordon has been thrown around the holy sites to prevent any security breaches, an interior ministry spokesman said.

Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshippers were killed in the deadliest stampede in the gathering's history.

But this year, those risks are greatly reduced by the much smaller crowd.

The pilgrims have all been tested for the virus, and foreign journalists were barred from this year's hajj, usually a huge global media event.

As part of the rites completed over five days in the holy city of Mecca and its surroundings, the pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat after spending the night in Mina.

A district of Mecca, Mina sits in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, and is transformed each year into a vast encampment for pilgrims.

They began the hajj on Wednesday with their first "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Kaaba, a large structure in Mecca’s Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray.

The Kaaba is draped in a black cloth embroidered in gold with Koranic verses and known as the kiswa, which is changed each year during the pilgrimage.

Pilgrims were brought inside the mosque in small batches, walking along paths marked on the floor, in sharp contrast to the normal sea of humanity that swirls around the Kaaba during hajj.

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Agencies
January 4,2020

Baghdad, Jan 4: At least five people were killed on Saturday by an airstrike on a vehicle convoy of Iraq's Shia Popular Mobilization Forces in northern Baghdad, a source in security forces told Sputnik.

Earlier in the day, the source told Sputnik about a powerful explosion in Baghdad's northern district of Taji.

"A vehicle convoy of the Popular Mobilization Forces has been attacked. According to preliminary data, five people have died. Their names have not been clarified so far," the source said.

On Friday, several senior members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, as well as commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Qasem Soleimani, were killed by a US drone attack near the Baghdad International Airport.

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Agencies
June 24,2020

New Delhi, June 24: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has asked Air India to not carry any passengers aboard the repatriation flights to UAE being operated under the Vande Bharat Mission.

As per the Guidelines issued by the General Civil Aviation Authority of United Arab Emirates (UAE)- Safety Decision 2020-01 (Issue 17) Q and A Guidance For Foreign Operators, on June 23, 2020 - transportation of passengers ( UAE Nationals and Non - UAE Nationals) to the United Arab Emirates on the repatriation flights is not allowed.

In view of the foregoing, all passengers including the Indian Nationals who are holding valid Residency Permit / Work Permit of United Arab Emirates and have procured approval of the UAEs Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship- UAE (ICA) of United Arab Emirates or an approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) applicable to Dubai would need to have specific approval from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in New Delhi and their UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) to travel from India to United Arab Emirates (UAE) on these repatriation flights.

All passengers need to comply with the quarantine and COVID-19 test requirements as per the preventive and the precautionary measures required by the appropriate health authorities, as notified from time to time.

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