Excerpts: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood leader killed.: Russia deploys

Excerpts: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood leader killed.: Russia deploys S-300
air defense system to Syria. Jordan military to undergo makeover October 04,
2016

+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 4 Oct.’16:”Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood leader
killed”
SUBJECT:Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood leader killed
QUOTE:”Mohamed Kamal, 61, was a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader in Egypt”

FULL TEXT:Egypt’s Interior Ministry said early on Tuesday[4 Oct] that it
killed a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader it said was responsible for the
group’s “armed wing” and another member of the group in a shootout on
Monday[3 Oct].

Mohamed Kamal, 61, a member of the group’s top leadership, and Yasser
Shehata, another leader, were killed. The ministry said it raided an
apartment in Cairo’s Bassateen neighborhood after learning it was used by
the leaders as a headquarters.

Kamal disappeared on Monday[3 Oct] afternoon, the Muslim Brotherhood said on
its social media accounts but gave no further updates. The Brotherhood says
it is a peaceful organization. Reuters could not immediately reach the group
for comment.

Shehata was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for “assaulting a
citizen and forcibly detaining the person in the headquarters of the freedom
and Justice party,” the political wing of the origination, the ministry said
in its statement.

Kamal had been sentenced to life in prison on two counts in absentia, added
the statement.

Kamal is one of the most prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and a
member of the Guidance Bureau. He was in charge of the supreme
Administrative Committee, known as the youth committee. He resigned from the
committee in May 2016, because the committee was opposed by other top
leaders in the organization.

The Brotherhood, the Middle East’s oldest Islamist movement and long Egypt’s
main political opposition, said it is committed to peaceful activism
designed to reverse what it calls a military coup in 2013.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi launched the toughest crackdown on
Islamists in Egypt’s modern history after toppling President Mohamed Mursi
of the Brotherhood in 2013.

+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon)4 Oct.’16:”Russia Deploys S-300 /Air Defense
System to Syria”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Russsia deploys S-300 Air Defense System to Syria

FULL TEXT:Russia’s defense ministry said Tuesday[4 Oct] that it had sent an
S-300 missile system to its naval facility in the Syrian city of Tartus, a
measure it says is meant to bolster its security.

“The S-300 anti-aircraft missile system has indeed been sent to the Syrian
Arab Republic,” defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a
statement.

“I remind you that the S-300 is a purely defensive system and poses no
threat to anyone.”

“It’s not clear why the placement of S-300 in Syria has caused such a stir
among our western colleagues,” he said.

The announcement comes as talks on reviving a failed ceasefire were
suspended by Washington over Moscow’s support of the regime in Damascus.

Moscow has been accused of indiscriminately bombing Aleppo’s
opposition-controlled east as it helps an offensive currently being
conducted by Syrian regime forces to capture all of the country’s second
city.

Russia has also denied that its strikes have hit hospitals and other
civilian facilities in spite of reports to the contrary.

In addition to operating a naval facility in Tartus, Russia runs an air base
outside the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, which currently houses war
planes used in Moscow’s bombing campaign in support of long-time ally Bashar
Assad.

A senior Russian official said in August that Russia was planning to expand
its Hmeimim air base in Syria into a permanent military facility.

The Hmeimim air base already has an S-400 air defense system, the most
modern in Russia’s arsenal.

+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 4Oct.’16:”Military to undergo makeover as challenges
mount”,byJT

SUBJECT:Jordan military to undergo makeover

FULL TEXT: AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the
Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), has ordered a review of modernization
requirements for the army and a restructure of its command.

In a letter to the newly appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff
Major General Mahmoud Freihat, the King cited the war on terror as the drive
behind the envisioned changes, according to the letter, released by the
Royal Court.

“Today, the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army faces several challenges resulting
from volatile regional circumstances that surround us. But the biggest
challenge before us is the war on terror, which requires us all to confront
it on various levels,” His Majesty told the General.

He added: “I have repeatedly said that the war on terror is foremost our
war. It is our duty to stand in the face of the khawarij, the outlaws of
Islam, who harm our faith and civilization. They threaten the future of our
generations and global peace and security.

“These challenges call for a full review of requirements related to
modernizing and advancing our armed forces, especially in regards to
planning, training and arming our troops, in addition to restructuring the
Armed Forces General Command to meet new developments and requirements.”

The Supreme Commander urged working out proper mechanisms to “guarantee the
most adequate levels of coordination between all security agencies.
Moreover, it is a priority to advance and modernise the capabilities of the
Border Guards, who defend our frontlines. These measures will ensure that
the Arab Army will maintain, as always, the highest degrees of readiness to
meet every challenge with utmost competence and excellence”.

Moreover, he said, it is vital to continue boosting the efficiency and
morale of the JAF personnel to maintain the best performance levels.

“Accordingly, it is important to provide our brave men and women in the
armed forces with all the support and to improve their living conditions, in
recognition of their great sacrifices defending Jordan’s security and
stability. These brave men and women are our nation’s resilient shield…,”
the king said.

He congratulated Freihat on his new post and voiced pride and confidence in
the country’s soldiers, stressing that the Arab Army, “which was founded on
the principles of the Great Arab Revolt… is fighting the battles of the Arab
nation and assuming a leading humanitarian role in different parts of the
world, protecting global peace and security

===============
Sue Lerner – Associate, IMRA