WHO virus mission to China in disarray 

as entry denied


Issued on: 06/01/2021 
The WHO team was set to try and track down how the virus first appeared in Wuhan, China NOEL CELIS AFP/File
3 min
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Geneva (AFP)

An expert mission to China to find the origins of the coronavirus pandemic stumbled before it even began, with the head of the World Health Organization complaining that Beijing was blocking the team from entering the country.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was "very disappointed" with the last-minute bar on entry, in a rare castigation of Beijing from the UN body.

A 10-strong team was due to arrive in China this week after months of painstaking negotiations.

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Beijing is determined to control the origin story of the virus, which has killed more than 1.8 million people so far and laid waste to global economies.

The first cases of the coronavirus were recorded in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, prompting accusations of chaotic, secretive handling by Chinese authorities which led to its spread beyond China.

US President Donald Trump called the pandemic the "China virus".

But Beijing has so far resisted pressure for a full independent probe into the early days of the outbreak. Instead, it has seeded doubt as to whether the pandemic even started inside its borders.

The WHO mission was billed as a way to cut through the rancour and seek clear answers on how the virus jumped from animals to humans.

But with some of the team already in transit, Beijing had yet to grant them entry, the WHO chief said.

"Today, we learned that Chinese officials have not yet finalised the necessary permissions for the team's arrivals in China," Tedros told reporters on Tuesday.

"I am very disappointed with this news, given that two members had already begun their journeys and others were not able to travel at the last minute."

He stressed that he had been in contact with senior Chinese officials to make clear "that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team".

"I have been assured that China is speeding up the internal procedure for the earliest possible deployment," Tedros added.

The mission was hugely sensitive and neither the WHO nor China had until now confirmed when specifically it was due to start.

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told Tuesday's briefing that the problem was a lack of visa clearances.

"We trust and we hope that this is just a (logistical) and bureaucratic issue that can be resolved very quickly."

There was no immediate comment from China.

- 'Critical' mission -

"We were all operating on the on the understanding that the team would begin deployment today," he said, adding that two members of the team coming from far away had set off early Tuesday, before it became clear that the necessary approvals had not been received.

He stressed the "absolute critical nature" of the mission, acknowledging that the situation was "frustrating and... disappointing".

The origins of Covid-19 remain bitterly contested, lost in a fog of recriminations and conjecture from the international community -- as well as obfuscation from Chinese authorities determined to keep control of the virus narrative.

Scientists initially believed the virus jumped to humans at a market selling exotic animals for meat in the city of Wuhan.

But experts now think the market may not have been the origin of the outbreak, but rather a place where it was amplified.

It is widely assumed that the virus originally came from bats, but the intermediate animal host that transmitted it between bats and humans remains unknown.

burs-apj/qan

© 2021 AFP

Women cultivate a new voice in Indian farm protests

Issued on: 06/01/2021 - 

Although India's rural communities are traditionally male-dominated, women have played an active role in the recent farmer protests Sajjad HUSSAIN AFP

Kundli (India) (AFP)

India's rural landscape is notoriously male-dominated, but thousands of women have become a pillar of the farmer protests blocking roads into New Delhi that have become a huge challenge to the government.

Women of all occupations and ages -- from those who tend cattle or toil in the fields, to city professionals and grandmothers in wheelchairs -- are braving the freezing winter temperatures in a bid to make the government withdraw market reforms.

"I am fighting for my children and my grandchildren," said Parminder Kaur, 40, who chants slogans at rallies during the day, then in the evening helps make chapati flatbread and curry to feed the tens of thousands of protesters.

Women have traditionally been the silent backbone of Indian agriculture -- working the land without the influence that goes with it. Repeat studies have shown how they suffer from poverty, discrimination and domestic violence.

About 85 percent of women in rural areas have some kind of agricultural activity, yet only 13 percent own land, according to anti-poverty activist group Oxfam.

But Kaur was visibly proud at the way women were "walking shoulder-to-shoulder" with men to defend rural welfare.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been forced onto the back foot over three laws which allow farmers to sell their produce on the free market, after decades of channelling their wheat and rice through state-run markets with a guaranteed minimum price.

Modi insists the reforms will attract badly needed investment to a sector which employs about two-thirds of India's 1.3 billion population, but only contributes about 15 percent to its economy.

However, farmer leaders say the changes will lead to a takeover of the agriculture business by Indian conglomerates.

Kaur's family has two acres (about 8,000 square metres) of land where they grow wheat.

"This land is everything for us, it is like our mother," she said.

"They want to snatch our mother away from us, how can we allow this?"

- 'Tension and violence' fears -

Ranjana Kumari, who heads the Centre for Social Research, a Delhi-based non-profit group, said that while women do not own the land, they fear a cut in revenue will badly hit their households.

"When the family income falls, it affects women's health and wellbeing the most. Less income also means more tension and violence at the hands of men.

"That is why they are angry and vocal about these laws."

The women's active participation in the protests has been appreciated by the leaders.

Rana Bhatti, who is from a farming family in Haryana state, said the protests were a way for women to show their strength.

"I feel the time has come for us to take to the frontlines and steer the challenge against this arrogant government," said Bhatti as she led a group of women holding flags and placards. One read: "No farmers, no food, no future."

Kumari said that women are more politically aware than ever before, a trend that Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party has seized upon and credited with helping it to two landslide election wins.

"Looking at the way the women are joining these protests, it makes a statement about their aspirations and the need to be heard. They are saying we won't take things lying down."

The farmers' cause has drawn an urban contingent of female supporters too.

Dressed casually in jeans and a shawl, Jassi Sangha, 33, is an artist and filmmaker who has been at the protest since it started.

She helps bring out a bi-weekly newspaper for the farmers and organises education for children in the camp.

Sangha said she was drawn by the protest as soon as she heard about it: "I left my work and came, we have to fight or we are done."

The farmers' rudimentary camps have been blocking key highways since November 26, and the government has appealed to the protesters to send women, children and the elderly back home, as India endures one of the coldest winters in three decades.

But Kaur, who has two children, said she is staying "for the long haul".

"At least we can proudly tell future generations that we raised our voice."

© 2021 AFP

   
ISRAEL VACCINE APARTHIED 
As cases spike, Israel leads world in COVID vaccinations

Israel has rolled out its first vaccinations. With cases rising, the third nationwide shutdown is expected to be tightened. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza will receive vaccines at a later date.

An woman receives the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Beersheba

Two weeks after starting its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Israel leads the world in immunizations per capita. On Tuesday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said 1.37 million Israelis had received their first doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine. Compared with other countries that started their immunization drives in December, Israel has become "a world champion in vaccinations," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.

Vying for reelection in snap polls in March, Netanyahu is promising Israelis that the country could be the first to "emerge" from the coronavirus pandemic — provided that they take their jabs. A so-called green passport, which would allow more freedoms to people who have been vaccinated, has been dangled to encourage Israelis to enlist for vaccination. "I think there is a readiness in society to start coming out of it and to feel some control over their lives again," said Diane Levin-Zamir, a professor of public health at the University of Haifa. "The metaphor of a vaccine is just helping people to see that we are taking giant steps out of the corona pandemic."

The government had secured several million doses of the two-stage BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine early on. The Moderna vaccine was approved on Tuesday, but the first batches are not expected until March, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel has set up large COVID-19 vaccination centers such as this one in Tel Aviv

The fast rollout of immunization is thanks in part to the relatively small size of Israel, the provision of vaccines and the country's digitized health care system. Every citizen has to register with one of the four nongovernmental health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that provide care. Now, clinics, hospitals and makeshift vaccination centers are working almost 24/7 to administer the shots. "Israel has this infrastructure that on the one hand is very community-oriented," said Levin-Zamir, who also works as director of the department of health education at the HMO Clalit. "It is very dispersed — there are many primary care clinics in every neighborhood or small towns — but we also have the centralized health care system."

For now, anyone over 60, health care workers, caregivers and people with underlying health conditions are given priority. Stories of younger people simply walking into clinics or being called up to receive surplus doses of vaccine which would otherwise be wasted, have also circulated on social media. An opened BioNTech-Pfizer vial has to be used within a short time.

Coronavirus still spreading

Israel continues to struggle with a soaring coronavirus infection rate. The death toll stands currently at 3,445 people. Health officials have suggested that the third nationwide shutdown, which was imposed in December, would be tightened this week. "Full vaccination is only a week after the second dose," Health Minister Yuli Edelstein wrote on Twitter. "In the meantime, morbidity is rising quickly. Therefore, there's no choice but a full and fast closure."

The first immunizations have used the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, developed in Germany

As logistical, financial and political problems abound, it remains uncertain when vaccination will commence for the 5 million Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Both the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority-administered West Bank have seen rising infection rates in recent months. More than 1,600 people have died from COVID-19. The timing of this spike and media coverage of the vaccination campaign in Israel have Palestinians wondering when vaccination is planned for them. Some fear that immunizations will be delayed as rich countries inoculate populations first. Many have discussed Israel's responsibilities to immunize Palestinians in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem have mostly access to the vaccination program through their local Israeli health care providers.

In an open letter, several Israeli human rights organizations appealed to the government, as the occupying power, to supply or to help fund vaccines for Palestinians. Some officials have suggested that the government might turn over any surplus once Israel's population has been vaccinated. Sources have pointed out that this would be in the national interest as thousands of Palestinians commute across the border daily or work in Israeli settlements.This would increase the pressure on the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority to secure vaccines from different countries and pharmaceutical companies. The Russian-made Sputnik V and UK-produced AstraZeneca vaccines have been reported as possibilities. "We are trying our best to get vaccines and have made requests to several companies," said Dr. Yaser Bouzieh, the director-general of the Public Health Department at the Palestinian Health Ministry. There is no agreed timeline as of now, he added, but "we expect delivery by the end of February or in March."

In addition, the Palestinian Authority has signed up for a special partnership mechanism with the World Health Organization and the Gavi Vaccine Alliance. The WHO-administered COVAX program aims to help low-income countries to get an equitable share of vaccines. As such, it would help provide vaccines in stages for up to 20% of health care workers and people over 60 or who have preexisting conditions in the West Bank and Gaza. "We don't know exactly yet when vaccines will become available for distribution, as many potential vaccines are being studied and several large clinical trials are underway," said Gerald Rockenschaub, the head of office of the WHO office for the Palestinian territories. Ninety-two countries participating in the program are awaiting emergency use approval of the vaccines before distribution begins. "We estimate that it could be in early to mid-2021," Rockenschaub said.

In recent days, local media have reported that an expected temporary shortage of vaccine supplies would slow down the inoculation. "The Achilles' heel lies in the chain of supply of the vaccine in January," Amos Harel wrote recently in the newspaper Haaretz. To continue the successful campaign, Israel will need a steady supply of the pledged vaccines.  

Leader of US right-wing Proud Boys group arrested over torched BLM banner
 Jan 5, 2021 

Enrique Tarrio was taken into custody and charged with destruction of property. Photo: AP

The chairman of the right-wing Proud Boys group has been arrested in Washington over the torching last month of a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a church during violent protests, US police said.

Enrique Tarrio, 36, was taken into custody as the US capital braced for demonstrations against certification this week of Joe Biden as the next US president.

Mr Tarrio – who had just arrived in the city from Florida – was charged with destruction of property at the Asbury United Methodist Church, a mainly African-American church where he and others allegedly burned the banner during violent protests on December 12.

He was hit with additional charges of possessing two illegal high-capacity firearm magazines at the time of his arrest, police said.

In a parallel court case unveiled on Monday, local time, Mr Tarrio and other members of the Proud Boys were accused by the historic Metropolitan AME church – also mainly African-American – with tearing down and burning its banner during the protests last month.

“The conduct of the Proud Boys in Washington DC on December 12, 2020, amounted to a new and dangerous chapter in the long and terrible history of white supremacist mob violence targeting Black houses of worship,” the church said in its filing.

The arrest came ahead of protests planned on Tuesday and Wednesday by backers of President Donald Trump supporting his unfounded claim that he, and not Mr Biden, won the November 3 presidential election.

Washington police said they were worried about potential violence, particularly from groups like the Proud Boys, and warned that people carrying firearms would be arrested.

“We will not allow people to incite violence or intimidate our residents,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said.

–ABC/AFP

Turkish police detain 17 people after student-led protest in Istanbul

Students demonstrate against the direct appointment Bogazici university's new rector by Turkish President, on January 4, 2021. (AFP)

AFP, IstanbulTuesday 05 January 2021

Text size A A A

Turkish police on Tuesday detained 17 people after hundreds attended a student-led protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s appointment of a rector to a top university in Istanbul.

Officers conducted dawn raids in 13 districts in the city, Istanbul police said in a statement, while operations were continuing to catch 11 other suspects.

At least 1,000 people demonstrated outside Bogazici University’s campus on Monday in response to a January 1 presidential decree in which Erdogan appointed Melih Bulu as the public institution’s rector.

For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Bulu ran as a candidate in the 2015 election for Erdogan’s ruling party.

Critics claim the appointment was another example of political interference in Turkey’s education sector by Erdogan, who assumed the power to appoint rectors after surviving a failed coup in 2016.

Before July 2016, university rectors were appointed through elections.

This is the second time Erdogan has appointed a trustee after his decision in November 2016 also attracted angry reactions and created tensions.

The police accuse the 28 suspects of violating a law on demonstrations and marches, and “resisting an officer on duty”.

An official at the Istanbul police headquarters said those detained were not students but members of “extremely marginal leftist” groups who supported the protests.

The university was known as Robert College when it was established in 1863.

It was handed to Turkey in 1971 and was renamed after the campus location by the Bosphorus river -- “Bogazici” in Turkish.

Despite the detentions, there are plans for more protests on Wednesday.

Google employees form Alphabet Workers Union to bring back the 'Don't be evil' motto

Starting with 226 of Alphabet's 120,000 employees.

By Asha Barbaschow | January 4, 2021 -- | Topic: Tech Industry

Workers from Google's parent company Alphabet have announced they are unionising, with the Alphabet Workers Union open to all of the tech giant's 120,000-plus employees.

The union, currently boasting a membership of 226, has the support of the Communications Workers of America (CWA). It's part of CWA's Coalition to Organize Digital Employees project, and the workers will be members of CWA Local 1400.

According to the union, it comprises dues-paying members, an elected board of directors, and paid organising staff. It's open to all employees and contractors at any Alphabet company.

"This union builds upon years of courageous organising by Google workers," program manager Nicki Anselmo said in a statement.

"From fighting the 'real names' policy, to opposing Project Maven, to protesting the egregious, multimillion-dollar payouts that have been given to executives who've committed sexual harassment, we've seen first-hand that Alphabet responds when we act collectively.

"Our new union provides a sustainable structure to ensure that our shared values as Alphabet employees are respected even after the headlines fade."

In announcing the new union, the group pointed to Google's roots, saying the behemoth began as a small tech company with a "Don't Be Evil" mantra, but it has since become one of the most influential companies in the world.

"Alphabet, Google's parent company, now has more than 120,000 workers. It's responsible for vast swaths of the internet, controlling tools used by billions of people across the world, with subsidiaries as varied as Waymo, Verily, Fitbit, and Wing," it added.

"Yet half of Google workers at Alphabet companies are hired as TVCs -- temps, vendors, or contractors -- without the benefits afforded to full-time employees. Executives have been awarded tens of millions of dollars in exit packages after documented sexual harassment against fellow Googlers. And the company has taken on unethical government contracts, like drone targeting for the military, yet kept the nature of that technology secret even to the Googlers working on those projects.

"It has removed its past motto from its mission statement."

Citing the termination of artificial intelligence researcher Dr Timnit Gebru from Google, the group said her exit has caused outrage from thousands of employees who are heartbroken by the company's actions and unsure of their future at Google. They also pointed to Project Maven, which was cancelled after thousands of Google staff pledged they would not work on unethical tech.

"Workers who have organised to stop these trends have been met by intimidation, suppression, and blatantly illegal firings, as recently confirmed by the National Labor Relations Board. Instead of listening to workers, Google hired IRI, a notorious anti-union firm, to suppress their organising. This is how Google's executives have chosen to interact with workers," the group's statement continued.

"The only tactic that has ensured workers are respected and heard is collective action."

SEE ALSO

 Google employee protest: Now Google backs off Pentagon drone AI project

Google CEO Pichai commits to lasting, meaningful change

Google, Alphabet employees to form union so they have a 'meaningful say' (CNET)

Amid growing employee activism, Google agrees to set up a worker council in Europe

NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES

MAGA activists plot revenge on Republican ‘traitors’

POLITICAL INQUESITION

 

The swift move to vengeance offers a preview of how Trump and his MAGA community plan to reshape the GOP in the coming months.



Supporters of President Donald Trump attend a pro-Trump march on Nov. 14 in Washington. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo


By TINA NGUYEN

01/05/2021 

MAGA figureheads and pro-Trump activists are vowing to excommunicate Republicans who vigorously oppose the doomed effort to keep President Donald Trump in power.

The threats have played out in recent days with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was once seen as a possible ally in Trump’s efforts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the swing state. But Raffensperger has consistently refused to validate Trump’s baseless voter fraud claims, and on Saturday, he bluntly told the president the rigged-election theories were simply wrong. After a recording of the Saturday call leaked to the press, the MAGA world erupted with incandescent rage.

“A national security threat,” proclaimed Charlie Kirk, MAGA youth leader and Turning Point USA co-founder. “Brad Raffensperger should immediately be investigated.”

In the coming days, that MAGA revenge complex could target everyone from low-level members of Congress to Vice President Mike Pence, as Congress meets on Jan. 6 to formally certify Biden’s victory. “Republicans,” Trump warned on Twitter, “NEVER FORGET!” speaking to lawmakers who have said they will not oppose Biden’s certification. And Trump allies are plotting to fund potential pro-MAGA primary challengers to oust those disloyal Republicans.

“We’ll put some money behind” trying to oust these Republicans, said Alex Bruesewitz, one of the organizers of Stop the Steal, an organization linked to high-profile MAGA personalities that is helping organize a major Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally in Washington.

The swift move to vengeance offers a preview of how Trump and his MAGA community plan to reshape the GOP in the coming months — creating Trump loyalty tests for Republicans, then working to evict anyone who doesn’t fall in line. The goal is to identify those who are most worthy of inheriting the MAGA base with Trump out of office. But the result may be that no one except Trump can rally the MAGA coalition.

2020 ELECTIONS
'NEVER FORGET’: Trump threatens Cotton over Electoral College certification
BY NICK NIEDZWIADEK

“I think that Trump and his supporters in the base, or his supporters in the Republican Party, are going to continue to be a big part of the party for the foreseeable future, including in 2022,” said Alex Conant, a GOP political consultant and the former communications director for Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign. “Most congressmen don't wake up in the morning worried about their general election. They worry about their primary.”

At the moment, Trump is focused on eviscerating Raffensperger, who has rebuffed Trump’s attempts to subvert the Georgia election results — and so, too, is his base.

While Trump’s allies launched a normal fusillade of personal attacks against Raffensperger — former House Speaker and Trump ally Newt Gingrich called him “anti-Republican” — they also called for criminal charges. Some suggested it had been illegal for the call to be recorded, even though Georgia law only requires one party in a conversation to consent to an audio recording. Others went further.

“Traitors in our midst,” tweeted Chanel Rion, White House correspondent at the pro-Trump outlet OAN, along with the hashtag “#InvestigateRaffensperger.”

Next, MAGA attention will focus on Capitol Hill, where Congress will meet on Jan. 6 in a joint session to formally certify November’s presidential election. Pence will oversee the proceedings as vice president. Historically, the gathering is an afterthought, a noncontroversial rubber stamp on an already settled outcome.

But in the Trump era, the president, scores of Republicans and throngs of his supporters are insisting that lawmakers should refuse to sign off on the results, incorrectly arguing that the election was rigged.

Trump-supporting entities are trying to concoct novel constitutional powers that Pence could wield at the last minute from his largely ministerial perch, which mostly involves opening the envelopes with each state’s Electoral College votes, and then handing them to a secretary for recording. Alexander Macris, a video game writer who became known for his role in Gamergate, the online harassment campaign targeting women, suggested in a viral essay that Pence could re-interpret the 1877 Electoral Count Act in a way that would allow him to simply not count the votes.

Edward Foley, the director of the Election Law Project at Ohio State University, flatly rejected the interpretation.

“I mean, it was raised in the 19th century, but it’s never been accepted in the sense that the Supreme Court's never adopted it. It's never even prevailed at Congress,” he said.

That hasn’t stopped pro-Trump outlets like The Gateway Pundit from making tantalizing offers directed at Pence.“Pence can place himself in the history books alongside Thomas Jefferson or he can sign off on the destruction of the United States as we know it,” read an op-ed on the site.




Others have traded carrots for sticks: Prominent conspiratorial-minded figures, such as pro-Trump Georgia lawyer Lin Wood, claimed that Pence could be arrested, tried for treason and executed by firing squad if he did not act on Trump’s behalf. And out in the wilds of the QAnon conspiracy community, the process might not even matter: Pence, some argued, might be a body double, put in place by a Satanic cabal to further its plots.

Lawmakers in Congress, meanwhile, have different concerns on their hands: Many will soon seek reelection. And for a certain brand of politician, going MAGA is the safest bet.

“Most of these people that won during the [2020] primaries, they said, ‘I'm the most like Trump.’ And that's why most of them won their primaries,” said Breusewitz, the Stop the Steal organizer. “And so if they go back, the voters will hold them accountable.”

Perhaps conscious of this, several newly-minted representatives have vowed to keep resisting even after Biden is sworn in. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) pledged to push for a commission to investigate the election. Others are planning to be among those protesting in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, who both gained notoriety for promoting QAnon conspiracies earlier in their political careers, are scheduled to speak at the rally.

As for those who don’t sufficiently fight against Biden’s inauguration, Bruesewitz has promised they will be punished.

“When we say every Republican that does not stand strong with the president will get a primary challenger, that does not mean we believe that we can beat every single one of them,” he said. “But what it means is we will make them spend their money. And we will urge their donors to not support them.”

Even with at least 140 House Republicans and 12 Senate Republicans vowing to oppose certification on Wednesday, Congress will still sign off on Biden’s win. Only a simple congressional majority is needed to formalize the results, which is all but guaranteed given the current makeup of Congress. And Pence himself has remained chilly on the topic, with a spokesperson saying that while the vice president backed the lawmaker’s right to object, it was up to them to actually prove fraud.

For the majority of Republicans, Conant argued, “This effort to undermine the integrity of the election will only help Joe Biden. And I say that because it'll leave Biden's opposition in Congress divided and many Republicans defending a very unpopular position.”

Still, for the right type of Republican, a vast MAGA empire is within reach: Trump’s fundraising numbers skyrocketed after the election, as his campaign solicited donations to fight nebulous voter-fraud allegations. Tapping into that energy could give the most fervent MAGA Republicans a boost in the coming years.

But, as Conant noted, that only works if Trump stays involved in Republican races around the country — far from a certainty once he leaves the White House.

“I suppose if Trump made his life mission to defeat everyone that wasn't loyal with him until the very end, maybe it could have an impact,” Conant said. “Just count me skeptical that he's going to spend the next two years playing in Republican primary politics, when he never showed that much of an interest in doing that when he was president.”

Still, Breusewitz, the Stop the Steal organizer, argued Republican voters are now solidly aligned with Trump.

“Republican voters want to see the party grow in a direction towards the president’s, and continue with the ‘America First’ and the MAGA movement,” he said.

CORRECTION: This report has been updated to correctly identify the speaker who called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “anti-Republican.” It is Trump ally Newt Gingrich.

Martyr Soleimani 'hero Cmdr.' of fight against

ISIL terrorism

(SAUDI, US, TURKEY JIHADISTS)


TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) – A member of Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly said,"General Soleimani was a heroic commander in the fight against ISIL terrorism whose measures foiled all the dangerous plots of the US, Zionist Regime, and their allies in West Asia."

The US terrorist forces assassinated Lt. General Qasem Soleimani, who was among the key figures in the fight against terrorism in Syria and Iraq in the past several years, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in an airstrike ordered by US President Donald Trump at Baghdad’s international airport on January 3, 2020.

General Soleimani was hailed as a charismatic brave hero in Iran and beloved by the troops. He devoted his life to defend Iran's national interest in the region so he is considered as a national hero for the Iranian people regardless of their different political and religious tendencies. He is also viewed by the world's freedom-seeking people as the key figure in defeating ISIL, the world’s most notorious terrorist group, in the Middle East battles.

On the first anniversary of Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani’s assassination, Mehr News Agency has reached out to Sayyed Tahir al-Hashemi, an Egyptian member of Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly to shed light on the role of Martyr Soleimani in West Asia.

The assassination of Lt. General Soleimani hurt the feelings of the Arab and Islamic nations and made them very angry with Trump's stupid move, the Egyptian thinker said.

Following is the text of the interview with him:

Through the assassination of Lt. General Soleimani, the number one figure of the fight against terrorism, Trump thought that he would weaken the Resistance and put an end to the anti-American discourse in the region. What effect do you think this action had on the Resistance?

First of all, I must say that there is a great Islamic power right now, and it is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Everyone should know that this great Islamic power is becoming stronger day by day. In fact, the Islamic Republic of Iran is like a great university from which commanders, leaders, and scholars like "General Qasem Soleimani" graduate.

He owned one of the greatest schools of the fight against terrorism in his era. He defended Islam with all his might and fought against terrorist groups and their supporters.

In fact, "Martyr Soleimani" fought the ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq, and finally, he succeeded to defeat them.

As a result, the conspiracies, dangerous plots, and projects of the United States, the Zionist regime, and their Arab allies in the region were doomed to failure through the defeat of ISIL terrorists.

General Soleimani was known as the hero of the fought against the ISIL terrorist groups. How do you assess the impact of his role in the fight against ISIL in Syria and Iraq?


"Martyr Soleimani" was a heroic commander. What he did in the fight against terrorism in Syria and Iraq made him the number one hero in the fight against ISIL terrorism.

Clearly, we witnessed that this great commander played a leading role in defending Islam and Muslims. The fact is that not only General Soleimani defended Islam and Muslims but also rescued humanity.

The ISIL terrorism was a threat to everyone, however, General Soleimani protected everyone from such a danger. Thus, it is clear that he played an important role in overcoming these terrorists.


How was the assassination of General Soleimani reflect on Egypt and world public opinion?


The assassination of Sardar Soleimani and his comrades, "Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes" as well as other martyrs, shocked all their friends. The incident also affected other nations, including the Egyptian nation. The people in Egypt were also shocked by the assassination of General Soleimani.

This assassination hurt the feelings of the Arab and Islamic nations and made them very angry with Trump's stupid move.

Today, everyone knows that the US government is a completely terrorist state, due to the presence of which, even its Arab and Islamic allies are not safe.

The existence of such a terrorist regime has made the Axis of Resistance more determined to achieve victory against the colonialists, arrogant powers, and the supporters of terrorism.

The assassination of Martyr Soleimani made many young people of the Islamic Ummah think of taking revenge on terrorism and its supporters.

In your opinion, how do you assess the role of Martyr Soleimani in supporting the Resistant groups as well as uniting the Islamic Ummah?

Earlier, I mentioned the important, strategic, and influential role of Martyr Soleimani in the region and extra-regional level.

There's no doubt that Martyr Soleimai played the greatest role in defeating the Takfiri terrorism of ISIL, paving the way for the overthrow of the United States in the region.

He provided the grounds for peace, stability, and security in the region, and as a result, he played an important role in uniting the Islamic Ummah.


As you know, Martyr Soleimani was very popular among the nations of the region. Many nations in the region still love Martyr Qasim Soleimani, a year after his martyrdom. What is the main reason for such popularity?


Due to the services he rendered to the Islamic Ummah and with the role he played in the fight against terrorism, Martyr Soleimani, gained great popularity among all Islamic and independent nations.

What Martyr Soleimani did for the Islamic Ummah made all honorable people love him. In fact, all the honorable nations made this great commander their role model and beacon in the fight against terrorism and defending the path of right.



Interview by Marzieh Rahmani

News Code 167916

In interviews with MNA:

Experts opine on Gen. Soleimani’s battle against terrorism

TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) – On the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Lt. General Ghasem Soleimani, we have reached out to experts to share their viewpoints with our readers on the top anti-terror commander's role in fight against terrorism.

US terrorists assassinated General Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi, and their companions by targeting their vehicles outside Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.

The act of terror was carried out under the direction of US President Donald Trump, with the Pentagon taking responsibility for the strike.

General Soleimani is viewed by the world's freedom-seeking people as the key figure in defeating ISIL, the world’s most notorious terrorist group, in the Middle East battles.

A year after the terrorist attack, we have reached out to prominent political analysts and scholars to shed light on the matter. The following are the text of the interviews with them:

.Key figure in fight against US-backed terrorists



Stephen Lendman, a prominent American analyst, says the elimination of Gen. Soleimani was carried out by the US because he was a key figure in the fight against US-backed terrorists and defusing US regional plots to reshape the map of the region.

“General Soleimani was key in the fight against regional terrorism the US, NATO and Israel support. That’s why he was targeted for elimination,” he added.

The American analyst said, “The US operates exclusively by its own rules — consistently and repeatedly breaching international, constitutional and its own statute laws. It is guilty domestically against its own people, along with wars by hot and means abroad.”

Lendman cited a statement by Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) on January 3, 2020, that read: “On this day, deputy head of (Iraq’s PMU) Hashed, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and head of (Iran’s) Quds Force, (General) Qasem Soleimani, were killed in a US strike that targeted their car on the Baghdad International Airport road… The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani.”

The analyst said, “They were killed for being redoubtable freedom fighters against US-supported ISIL in Iraq — not for any threat to US security. What happened was cold-blooded murder — far from the first time US elements killed targeted individuals.”

“The action and much more like it reflects how the scourge of US imperialism operates — a diabolical agenda against world peace, equity, justice and the rule of law,” he added.

Lendman said, “No one is able to change US Middle East policy that’s all about redrawing its map, weakening regional countries, plundering their resources, and sharing the spoils with imperial partners.”

“As long as it’s oil-rich, US military interventionism is there to stay.”

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Soleimani entered Gaza to repel Israeli attacks, blockade



Firas Al Najim, a Canada-based human rights activist, also pointed to the role of Martyred Lieutenant General Ghasem Soleimani in the fight against terrorism in West Asia, and his support for Palestinian resistance.

Elaborating on the US’ terrorist move that was a clear breach of the international law, al-Najm said, “The US regime and specifically the Trump administration breached international law without any remorse or regret by killing General Ghasem Soleimani who was invited to Iraq through legal Iraqi channels.”

“Governments of Iraq and Iran had mutual security agreements and this was fully violated by the US attack targeting the agreement and also killing one of the most important Iraqi generals in the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who had led the battle against the terrorist organization ISIL, aka Daesh.,”

Referring to Soleimani's role in fighting against US and Saudi backed terrorism, he said, “Soleimani was a very successful commander and defender of the holy Middle Eastern region. He was in the forefront in the 2006 Lebanon vs Zionist occupation battle that had a great resolution of having all the Lebanese prisoners of war released and the Israeli illegitimate regime was never humiliated to this high of a level before in its history.”

He noted, “Soleimani also was at the forefront in securing Syria from the global terrorist organizations that were backed by the American- Saudi evil regimes. He also assisted in securing the holy shrine of the Prophet Muhammad’s granddaughter Lady Zainab in the capital of Syria Damascus. Soleimani concluded his life in the grand battle against the ISIL terrorists that had gained strong grounds in Iraq and massacred many Iraqis. Soleimani was the main engineer in liberating and securing Iraq and that includes the northern mainly populated Kurdish areas and this has also been stated by Massoud Barzani.”

The human rights activist said the American-engineered and -backed terrorism was defeated by Soleimani and his companions and they felt they had reached a point of despair that they had to kill him in a cowardly way and this also exposed their nature.

“Soleimani broke the evil Sykes-Picot Agreement and redraw the maps that opened the doors of all resistance to join hands in from Lebanon to Palestine to Syria to Iraq and the list goes on. The united resistance that will one day enter and liberate holy occupied Palestine as he predicted in many of his sermons.”

He pointed to Soleimani’s role in the fight against terrorists in Palestine, saying he “entered Gaza several times and helped to build the underground tunnels that assisted the resistance to respond strongly to the Israeli aggressions.”

“This was confirmed by the Hamas representative in Lebanon Ahmed Abdul Hadi and it was sealed when the leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, the democratically elected government of Gaza, flew to Tehran after Soleimani’s martyrdom and during the sermon said loudly and boldly that Ghasem Soleimani is the martyr of Al Quds meaning the martyr of Jerusalem.”

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Gen. Soleimani assassination clear violation of intl. law



Onur Sinan Guzaltan, a Turkish lawyer and analyst, says the assassination of General Soleimani was a violation of international law, the aim of which was to weaken the anti-American and anti-Zionist activities in the region.

In his talk with Mehr News Agency, Guzaltan addressed the issue from the perspective of the principles and rules of international law.

He referred to the sanctions imposed on Turkey and Iran, as well as the civil war in Syria and operations against anti-Israel groups, saying such moves are in line with establishing a terrorist state in northern Iraq and Syria. “The US goal is to maintain its hegemony in West Asia.”

He said it is clear that “all countries, organizations and individuals in the region who oppose the US plots or fight the US-backed terrorist groups are targeted by the Washington government.”

He said the “assassination of General Soleimani was also aimed at weakening Iran as one of the countries that opposes the US plans.”

Guzaltan said while the United States targets countries with terror, sabotage, and sanctions, terrorist groups such as the PKK and ISIL continue to provoke conflict in the region.

Expounding on the legal perspectives of the criminal act, he said, “The US action against General Soleimani is undoubtedly a terrorist act and has no place in international law.”

“Ignorance of international law, crimes against humanity or war crimes are examples of thousands of US-Israeli actions.”

He added, “Sanctions against Iran, the occupation of Palestine, and sanctions against Turkey are the biggest examples of US and Israeli non-compliance with the law.”

“The way to overcome this lawlessness is a joint struggle against US imperialism in West Asia.”

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Soleimani cast unwavering support for Palestinian resistance



Sheikh Maher Hamoud, head of the International Union of Resistance Scholars, also referred to General Soleimani's unwavering support for the Palestinian resistance and said he had thwarted US plots to reshape West Asia’s map.

In his interview with Mehr News Agency, the senior cleric said while the majority of public opinion in the region and the world considers General Soleimani as a pioneer in the fight against ISIL and the destruction of these terrorist organizations in Iraq, “his selfless actions in support of the Palestinian groups and Lebanese resistance forces, and the Axis of Resistance in West Asia should not be forgotten.”

He said that General Soleimani managed to prevent the implementation of the US plots in Syria and Iraq and the realization of Washington's goals of creating unrest in these countries.

“He also played an important role in the 33-day war waged by the Zionist regime against the Lebanese resistance in the south of the country.”

He said, “The result of General Soleimani's efforts was the thwarting of many of the American conspiracies against the region, especially the new Middle East plan.”

Gen. Soleimani promoted Intifada to armed resistance



The representative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, Naser Abu Sharif, pointed to General Soleimani’s considerable role in the Palestinian’s fight against the occupiers, saying that the martyred general had promoted the armed resistance in the Gaza Strip.

“Undoubtedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran played an important role in supporting the Palestinian cause after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. It was Iran's support that enabled Palestinian resistance groups to stand up to the Zionist regime,” Abu Sharif said.

He noted that "Since Haj Ghasem Soleimani was appointed as the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran's support for the Palestinian resistance has also changed.”

He said General Soleimani had formed many Islamic movements to stand up and confront the Zionist regime. “He made supporting Islamic and resistance movements one of his top priorities.”

Referring to the evolution of the Palestinian’s fight against the occupiers, Abu Sharif said, “Since 2005, after the First Intifada in the Occupied Territories, the struggle in Palestine has escalated and the struggle has turned from stone to arms.”

“Therefore, it was in 2005 that the process of strengthening the resistance militarily began,” he said, adding, “Meanwhile, Haj Ghasem Soleimani and the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps played a prominent role in promoting the armed resistance in the Gaza Strip.”

He noted that “Soleimani also played a significant role in integrating the resistance movements in the occupied territories.”

In Iraq, Syria and Yemen, we also see that the resistance movements have all gained strength and are now resisting the Western projects as well as the projects of the Zionist regime,” he said.

“This is undeniable,” he stressed.

The Palestinian figure said, “The relations between the leaders of Islamic Jihad and General Soleimani were not within the framework of a series of military relations, but what brought Islamic Jihad and him closer was the insight of both sides towards the Islamic project; a project that should line up against the US-Western project and Zionism in the region.”

“In fact, the idea of Islamic unity is the only idea that can be used to summarize the type and nature of relations between resistance groups and General Soleimani.”

He said, “We generally had friendly and fraternal relations with each other, and in the meantime, there were no personal or partisan interests.”

Soleimani foiled US plans to redraw N Africa, WA



Anthony Cartalucci, a Bangkok- based geopolitical researcher, believes that figures like Soleimani - and in a wider sense - the efforts by the Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi, and Russia have already foiled the US plans to redraw North Africa and West Asia (Middle East).

Cartalucci told Mehr News that “the US murdered Lt. General Soleimani in the middle of its illegal occupation of Iraq, without justification, outside every conceivable measure of international law, and in direct violation of not only US and international laws - but in violation of Iraq's laws and without Iraq's consent.”

“Virtually every aspect of the targeted murder/assassination was illegal and in every conceivable way,” he added.

The geopolitical researcher pointed to Washington's track record of carrying out crimes internationally - from assassinations to full-scale invasions, saying that “this sort of crime has been normalized and unfortunately little has or will be done about it - especially in the still very ineffective, dysfunctional United Nations.”

He elaborated on Soleimani's role in fighting against US and Saudi backed terrorism, saying, “It was clear that Soleimani was key to fighting ISIL, Al Qaeda's various affiliates not only in Syria but also in Iraq and beyond. It was clear that Soleimani - and in a wider sense - Iran was key to fighting the self-proclaimed terrorist group the "ISIL" and Al Qaeda's various affiliates not only in Syria alongside Russian and Syrian forces - but also in Iraq and beyond.”

“And while the US claims it is also fighting these groups it is clear that their growing confrontation with Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Russia is owed to this latter coalition's efforts to eliminate terrorist organizations the US has used for years as proxies across the region,” Cartalucci added.

He described the assassination as “an ugly act” which was “ultimately made in vain - since Iran's efforts against these terrorist organizations have continued and will continue.”

“Soleimani wasn't just a skilled leader but he was part of an effective institution that has continued his work since the US assassination.”

Soleimani sought to bring peace, security to region



Ali Fahim, an Iraqi political analyst, in an interview with Mehr News, hailed General Soleimani's role in defeating ISIL terrorists and thwarting conspiracies of the US and Saudi Arabia in West Asia, saying that Soleimani sought to bring peace and security to the region.

“The role of General Soleimani's military planning as well as his organized strategy and cleverness in defeating ISIL and declaring victory against these terrorist groups is undeniable.”

As General Soleimani sought to bring peace and security to the region and to strengthen the unity of the Iraqi Shias and political groups, the US considered him as a danger, Fahim said and added that, in this regard, General Soleimani’s measures were to the detriments of the interests of the US and Zionist Regime.

In response to a question over the role of General Soleimani in thwarting the US and Saudi conspiracies in the region aimed at geopolitical change, he said that Saudi Arabia, supported by the US and the UK, had many ambitious and colonial conspiracies in the region, especially for Yemen.

However, General Soleimani stood against such devil plans and thwarted conspiracies in the region, he added.

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Soleimani defused three US plots in region



Hossein Akbari, the head of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening Studies Center, said General Soleimani had defused three US plots that could affect the entire world.

“The Americans pursued at least three major projects in the region, each of which could have far-reaching implications for the world and impact on the entire world. But Martyr Soleimani thwarted their plots,” he said.

Akbari added, “The first plan of the Americans was the plan of the ‘Great Middle East’ in which they wanted to occupy the Islamic world and force the whole Islamic world to give up their values. They thought that they would achieve their goal by occupying Iraq, but their plan in Iraq failed and was thwarted.”

“The second plan of the Americans was the ‘New Middle East’ plan in which they wanted to divide the countries of the Islamic world into 200 small units and deprive them of their national power to force the people of these countries to follow them. They also started implementing this plan from Lebanon, and according to them, the beginning of the war in Lebanon was a prelude to the ‘New Middle East’ plan.”

He went on to say, “ISIL issue was the third plan of the Americans. By bringing ISIL to the Middle East, they wanted to create a full-fledged, long-lasting war in the Islamic world for at least 50 years, as well as chaos among the Islamic countries. It can be clearly said that world security owes much to Gen. Soleimani in the ISIL issue.”

“If any of these three plans were implemented, it could affect the equations of the whole world,” he stressed.

When asked about the hard revenge, Akbari said, “As Leader of the Islamic Revolutions said the attack on US airbase of Ain al-Assad was only a slap in the face of Americans and the issue of hard revenge is still in place and will be taken in due course.”

“Our revenge will not be just militarily, but it will be in all dimensions, especially software,” he noted.

“The idea in the Resistance is not to kill, inflict damage and to use military force. Resistance, as its name implies, means defense rather than attack.”

MNA

News Code 167794

Intl. police refuse to detain culprits of Soleimani’s terror


TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) – With elapse of one year since assassination of former Iran’s IRGC Quds Force Commander Martyr Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, international police (Interpol) refrain from detaining culprits of assassination of Iran’s top general.

However, the legal case of this heinous crime is still open despite international sabotaging at both domestic and foreign levels.

Assassination is one of the most heinous crimes that occurs in domestic and foreign arenas which in many legal systems of the world has the ability to be pursued in tandem with the diplomatic pursuit.

After martyrdom of Lt. Gen. Soleimani, groups and local officials in the country made promises to pursue the assassination case, some of which came true to some extent but some of which are still open. Some officials blame international restrictions and stonewalling as the main reason behind the case.

One of the measures taken in the first months of martyrdom of Gen. Soleimani was the issue of following up the case in international level and in this line, Judiciary Chief Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi and Head of the Iranian Judiciary's High Council for Human Rights Ali Bagheri Kani and Minister of Justice Seyyed Alireza Avaei were tasked with pursuing the assassination case in legal and international dimensions.

But considering the martyrdom of Iraqi Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the fact that Iraq was a third country in this case, Head of Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council Faeq Zidan, announced the formation of a judicial case in Iraq in one of the contacts with the Judiciary Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He said, "Martyr Soleimani was a guest of Iraqi government and we accept all the details regarding domestic and international legal aspects raised by Iranian Judiciary Chief."

Addressing Iran’s Judiciary Chief, Zidan added, "I assure you that the investigation of the case has started from the very beginning in Iraq and a large case has been filed for judicial investigation." We focus on this issue very carefully and follow up necessary steps continuously and daily.”

In this regard, a Judicial Committee was formed to review this case thoroughly. In addition to this delegation, another delegation consisting of the Ministry of Intelligence, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Judiciary, the Human Rights Headquarters and IRGC’s Quds Force has been formed.

In the first list of culprits of this assassination, Tehran prosecutor announced that 36 culprits have been identified behind the assassination case of Iran’s top general. However, arrest warrant has been issued by the judicial body and a red alarming status has been released by the international police on the case.

At the top of the list is US President Donald Trump, who will be prosecuted even after his term expires. But in the latest list put forward by one of the case's special investigators named Ali Bagheri Kani Deputy Judiciary Chief for International Affairs, 48 culprits were identified in connection with the assassination case and necessary measures have been taken to prosecute them.

With due observance to the said issue, necessary measures were taken by International Police Organization regarding the international arrest warrant of culprits but unfortunately, they refused issuance of arrest warrant for culprits due to the prevailing political situation.

Former Iran's IRGC Quds Force Commander Martyr Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Second-in-Commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) as well as eight other commanders of resistance were assassinated at Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 3 at the behest of US President Donald Trump.

MA/5108428 

News Code 167840

 

'Red Notice' request against Trump submitted to Interpol

TEHRAN, Jan. 05 (MNA) – The request to issue a 'Red Notice' against Trump and some other criminals was submitted to Interpol.

" The request to issue 'Red Notice' for 48 people involved in the assassination of Martyr Soleimani, including the US President, as well as commanders and officials at the Pentagon and forces in the region, were handed over to Interpol," said Judiciary Spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaeili in his weekly presser on Tuesday. 

"The case of the terrorist crime that led to the martyrdom of Soleimani and his accompanies in the early days of the incident was filed in the Special Court for International Affairs in Tehran," he added, saying, "A comprehensive investigation was conducted into the operation leading to the martyrdom of Martyr Soleimani."

"The culprits have been identified and 48 people involved in the incident, including the US president who was the main culprit, as well as commanders and officials at the Pentagon and forces in the region, have been identified," Esmaeili highlighted.

He noted that Iran submitted the request to issue a 'Red Notice' for the culprits.

The US terrorist forces assassinated Lt. General Qasem Soleimani, who was among the key figures in the fight against terrorism in Syria and Iraq in the past several years, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in an airstrike ordered by US President Donald Trump at Baghdad’s international airport on January 3, 2020.

MNA/TSN2426407

News Code 168105

Turkish firm to sell Philippines amphibious earthmovers

PERMANENT ARMS ECONOMY

Under 2 contracts, defense firm FNSS to provide armored combat earthmovers, logistic support services to Philippine army

The AACE, which is the first and only combat engineering dozer vehicle with amphibious capabilities in the world

File photo
Photograph: Savunma Sanayii Başkanlığı

Turkish defense company FNSS on Monday announced it would provide amphibious armored combat earthmover (AACE) vehicles and logistic support services to the Philippine military.

Under a contract signed between FNSS and the Philippines' Department of National Defense (DND), the vehicles will be delivered and training and logistics support services completed by the end of March 2023, according to a statement by the defense firm.

The project's main goal is to support the Philippine military's modernization efforts, increasing its combat engineering capabilities.

After being manufactured at FNSS facilities in Turkey, the vehicles will be delivered to the Philippines following tests in both countries.

Philippine army personnel are to be trained to use the vehicles as part of the FNSS's integrated logistics support services.

The AACE, which is the first and only combat engineering dozer vehicle with amphibious capabilities in the world, has been deployed by the Turkish Armed Forces in the past and with this sale, will be exported for the first time to another country.

Under another project, the FNSS will provide and integrate stabilized one-man turrets into tracked armored vehicles in the Philippines.

The turrets are slated to be integrated on the vehicles in October 2021, with training and logistics support services to be completed by December that year.

The Philippine military favored the one-man turrets of different caliber armaments over other products produced by global defense industry giants due to its cost-effectiveness and superior technical features.

Both projects will be under the Defense Industry Cooperation Agreement signed between Ankara and Manila.