Top Moroccan jihadist killed by the Syrian Army in Latakia

The Moroccan leader of Harakat Sham Al-Islam, ‘Azzam Al-Mughrabi, and his bodyguard, Bilal Al-Mughrabi, were reportedly killed by a missile strike in northern Latakia on Saturday. The missile strike was conducted by the Syrian Arab Army’s Special Forces after they were provided intel and satellite images from their Russian military advisers in the Latakia Governorate. Harakat Sham Al-Islam is a notorious terrorist group that was founded by former Guantanamo Bay detainees in 2013.

Since their founding, they have aided the Syrian opposition forces in northern Syria by specifically targeting the Syrian government forces near the vast border-crossing into Turkey’s Hatay Province. This Islamist group was designated as a terrorist group by the United States in September of 2014.

Morocco stands by Saudi against threats to Gulf peace

Morocco’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Rabat stands in “complete solidarity” with Saudi Arabia against any threats to stability of the Gulf region.

“We are in complete solidarity with Saudi confronting any interference in its internal affairs,” Salaheddine Mezouar said during a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir. The Saudi top diplomat was on his first visit to Morocco since his appointment as Saudi’s foreign minister last year.

Mezouar emphasized that Morocco stands with Saudi against threats to the Gulf region’s peace, and said that the Saudi-led military operation which began in Yemen last year “proved that it was launched to defend legitimacy” in the country.

The Iran-backed Houthi militias and allied forces of deposed Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh claimed control of Sanaa in Sep. 2014 and then moved to seize most of the country’s other major cities, briefly pushing the Yemeni government – including President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi – into exile.

In reaction, Saudi Arabia formed an Arab coalition last year in a bid to restore to power Yemeni’s internationally recognized government and unseat the Houthis.

The foreign minister said Rabat “rejects sectarianism and interference in states’ internal affairs.”

Jubeir, meanwhile, reiterated that there is no place for President Bashar Al-Assad’s in the future of Syria. He also said “of course, there is Plan B in case the political process fails in Syria,” but did not disclose any further details.

However, he said Riyadh was ready to participate with the US-led coalition if it decides to send troops to Syria.

Morocco 'foreign fighter' nabbed in Italy Rome

#Morocco 'foreign fighter' nabbed in #Italy #Rome https://t.co/RgTaNFPSPu pic.twitter.com/WI1mSRQ6tS

— TRACterrorism.org (@TRACterrorism) January 26, 2016

Morocco’s three CH-47Ds arrived home

Three refurbished US Army CH-47D Chinook transport helicopters arrived on Saturday to Tangier-Med port in the presence of US experts who were in charge of the transfer process.

After a seven month refurbishment period by Columbia Helicopters, a US maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) company, the three helicopters arrived in Tangier and will be delivered to Morocco’s Royal Army.

In addition to the three helicopters, the US sale included “the training of Moroccan crew, tools, publications and spare parts all valued at $78.9 million.”

The $6 million contract alone included a complete interior and exterior refurbishment, airframe touch-ups, engine overhauls and painting of the aircrafts in the Moroccan army colors.Last month, the US-Africa Command division chief of Regional Operations at USASAC Scott Huther said “Three very capable aircrafts are being provided under budget to the Moroccans. Providing these helicopters will enable Morocco to use them for a variety of purposes and have inter-operability with the U.S. military and its equipment in future missions.”Huther added that the purchase has been in development since 2010, but “due to Morocco’s budget constraints the delivery could not be expedited.”

Morocco’s Royal Air Force operates a large fleet of helicopters which includes 19 Aerospatiale SA-342 Gazelles, between 10 and 12 Agusta-Bell AB-206 (Bell 206) Jet Rangers, 25 AB-205As, two Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks, and 24 SA-330 Pumas.

Missing Moroccan F-16 pilot identified

The photos of the Moroccan pilot who went missing after the downing of Moroccan F-16 in Yemen went viral on social media, with statements praying for his safety.

Informed sources reported that the missing pilot was Yassin Bohti, a lieutenant in Moroccan Air Force, who is originally from Casablanca and lives in Marrakech. The twenty-six yea- old Moroccan pilot, was participating in a raid against Hothi rebels in Yemen.

The Moroccan Air Force (FARMAROC) family, posted in ts forum yesterday a communique “offering its deep and sincere condolences to the family and friends of [the] fallen Martyr, Lt Bahti in the fields of honor.” “May God welcome him into his vast paradise,” FARMAROC added.The Iran-backed Shia Houthi rebels in northern Yemen released the first images of what is said to be the corpse of Moroccan pilot whose F-16 warplane was reportedly shot down on Sunday.

Houthi militants also published images showing the wreckage of the Moroccan F-16 warplane scattered in a mountainous area in Yemen.

Moroccan F-16 jet from Saudi-led coalition crashes in Yemen

A Moroccan F-16 warplane taking part in the Saudi Arabian-led coalition fighting in Yemen went missing on Sunday, the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces said in a statement.

The pilot of a second jet in the same squadron could not see if the pilot had ejected from the jet, which was hit at 6 p.m. local time, said the statement carried by the Moroccan state news agency MAP.

MAP said an investigation is under way. 

Morocco Receives Three Fighter Jets from France

Boosting the military corporation between the two strategic partners, France put three Mirage F1- B jet fighters in the service of the Moroccan Royal Air Force after the French Air Force tested them.Moroccan pilots will deploy the old fighter aircrafts in Royal Air Force exercises, according to Almassa.

According to the same source, the distinctive single-engine fighters were handed to the Moroccan army after Dassault Aviation, the manufacturing company, improved the fighter’s traditional delta wing design in order to facilitate the ability to use rudimentary runways.
Last year, the Mirage F1- B was deployed to support the Baltic Air Policing mission in Lithuania and the French-led operation against extremists in Mali.Since 1966, this type of fighter jet has been exported by Dassault Aviation to the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and Northern Africa, particularly Libya and Morocco.

These three aircrafts will boost the Mirage F1- B collection of the Royal Air Force, which has already acquired 27 jet fighters of this kind.



http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/128978/morocco-receives-three-fighter-jets-from-france/