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High-level Turkish Delegation Seeks Increased Cooperation with Libya

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On Wednesday, June 17, Prime Minister Fayez-Sarraj of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) met with high-level representatives from Turkey in Tripoli. The group was the most significant delegation to visit the country since rebel commander Khalifa Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli in April 2019.

The Turkish delegation included Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak, and Turkish Chief of Intelligence Hakan Fidan. Libyan officials in attendance included Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Siala, the Minister of Interior, Fathi Bashaga, and the Minister of Finance, Faraj Atmari. 

The meeting comes after a period of increased cooperation between the two governments with Turkey seeking to re-establish access to the Libyan market for Turkish businesses. Prior to the conflict in Libya, Turkish companies were dominant in the construction sector. The delegation is reported to have discussed cooperation in banking, infrastructure, and oil. 

One Turkish official suggested that the two countries could cooperate “on every imaginable project.” Turkey’s support for the GNA and aggressive moves to secure contracts for Turkish companies in post-conflict Libya are a source of concern for Libya’s neighbors. The populations of Tunisia and Egypt are particularly dependent on Libya for employment opportunities and cross-border trade.   

Turkish military support 

Turkey has provided significant support to the GNA including supplying them with arms, in contravention of the United Nations arms embargo, and providing Syrian mercenaries. International observers believe thousands of mercenaries, paid $1,500 per month, are in the country and fighting alongside GNA forces. 

In a further sign of the growing closeness between Tripoli and Ankara, Libya Review reports that the GNA has deposited $4 billion in the Central Bank of Turkey with a further $8 billion paid for Turkey’s recent intervention in Libya. 

In addition to the Syrian mercenaries, Turkey has sent 70 Turkish UAV drones to Libya, which cost over $5 million per unit, and hundreds of armored vehicles (KIRPI). 

Conflict continues 

Turkey may be looking to a post-conflict Libya but the conflict, which has been ongoing since the NATO-backed toppling of Muamar Ghaddafi in 2011, continues.

Earlier this month, the GNA was successful in repelling Haftar’s forces from Tripoli after over a year of fighting. Securing the capital was an important victory for the GNA. However, General Haftar’s forces maintained control over much of Libya including the majority of the country’s oil fields. 

The defeat comes amid unconfirmed reports the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries who previously fought alongside Haftar’s forces evacuated from Libya in May. 

On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned of “direct intervention” from Cairo should the GNA’s forces advance on the town of Sirte and instructed the Egyptian military to be ready to carry out operations. Sirte provides strategic access to the Haftar-controlled oil fields. Egypt, along with Russia and the United Arab Emirates, supports General Haftar’s forces. 

Libya responded to el-Sisi’s warnings in a statement that likened his comments to a declaration of war. 

COVID-19 Pandemic Reaches Highest Daily Increase in Cases

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On Sunday, June 21, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called COVID-19 “the challenge and opportunity of our time” as the pandemic reaches a new phase. The world appears to be caught in the first wave of the pandemic, with cases still increasing daily. Countries reported 183,000 new cases on June 21, marking the largest daily increase since the emergence of the virus in 2019.

Growing cases

Brazil appears to be the worst-hit country currently. Its government’s much-criticized COVID-19 response led to a disastrous 55,000 new cases to add to its caseload of one million patients. Brazil has reported 49,976 COVID-19-related deaths. Brazilians took to the streets to protest President Jair Bolsanaro, as he appeared to bolster support of the military as tensions mount in the capital, Brasilia.

On the African continent, recorded cases reached 306,567 according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The African CDC also reported 146,212 recoveries amid a total death toll of 8,115 as the continent’s disparate regions face different phases of the epidemic. North African countries have achieved relative success through strict containment measures, keeping the total regional caseload at around 81,500.

In Southern Africa several nations are still facing the initial wave of infections with 101,700 recorded cases while West Africa has seen 62,400, East Africa reported 31,400, and Central Africa recorded 29,500. Africa’s young population appears to be keeping death tolls relatively low but, like in many places across the world, much remains unclear about the scale of unreported cases.

Socioeconomic impact

While Africa’s youthful population might be more resilient against the virus, the socioeconomic consequences of the global crisis are prompting a renewed call for solidarity in the pandemic’s aftermath. The president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, joined forces with Ghebreyesus to launch a “Solidarity Call to Action.”

Only by working together, the statement says, can we ensure a fair and equitable response to the economic aftermath of the crisis. The WHO’s June 1 call to action urges governments to avoid international competition over vaccines and economic support in order to mitigate the long-term effects of the pandemic that has claimed almost half a million lives in less than a year.

Urging an “open and collaborative” approach

Governments and researchers should “promote innovation, remove barriers, and facilitate open sharing of knowledge, intellectual property and data,” according to a WHO statement, as international frictions have emerged over the distribution of an eventual COVID-19 vaccine.

The WHO hopes to encourage a spirit of “open and collaborative approaches” to ensure an “equitable distribution and access to products needed for COVID-19.”

Some commercial companies working on vaccines are pressuring governments to outbid each other to receive “first access” to an eventual vaccine.

The US and EU are already buying up hundreds of millions of doses of yet unproven drugs, causing many to many fear the crisis will further exacerbate global inequalities.

Desperate need for unity

Calls for the development of a “People’s Vaccine” through global cooperation appear to have resulted in little, despite the concept’s broad support by many current and former world leaders.

The new “Solidarity Call to Action” appears to attempt to refocus the global pharmaceutical industry and its government funders to prioritize global stability and a common humanity over political decisions that lead to competition over vaccine access.

The Call to Action has received formal support from a variety of WHO member states across the world, but the future will tell if any true collaboration will materialize.

“The world is in desperate need of national unity and global solidarity. The politicization of the pandemic has exacerbated it,” Dr Tedros said on Monday, June 22, “…the greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself, it’s the lack of global solidarity and global leadership.”

Egypt Claims Right to Intervene in Libya

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced on Saturday Egypt’s intentions to intervene within its troubled neighbor’s borders if the Libyan conflict moves further east. The call comes in response to repeated advances by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) that is making gains against the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA).

After being besieged in the country’s capital Tripoli for a year, GNA forces have enjoyed new momentum after a significant military intervention by Turkey. In exchange for drilling rights in Libyan waters and influence in Tripoli, Turkey has changed the Libyan war with an influx of drones, military hardware, and mercenaries.

Escalation

In response to the GNA’s newfound military advantage, the LNA has acquired Russian MiG-29 and Su-24 fighter jets to counter the increasing use of drones against the military bases and air defenses of the Eastern faction led by Khalifa Haftar. But the Tripoli-based government is pressing its current military advantage to push further east, reducing Haftar’s sphere of influence in Libya.

Turkish-backed GNA forces are now advancing on Sirte, located roughly halfway between Tripoli and the LNA’s capital in Benghazi. El-Sisi said on June 20 that any further military movements towards Sirte and the Jufra district below it are a “red line.” With combatants nearing Egypt’s borders, they bring the chaos of irregular fighting between militias that has defined the Libyan conflict since its onset.

Egyptian response

Egypt, el-Sisi declared, will consider direct military intervention within Libya’s borders if fighting moves further east. The Benghazi-based LNA government expressed support for Egypt’s intentions as it issued a statement calling on the United Nations in Libya to increase efforts to enforce the weapons embargo that has become an embargo in name only as more and more advanced weaponry enters the Libyan theater of war.

Without a ceasefire in place, the eastern Libyan government could invite an Egyptian response, according to el-Sisi. “Any military intervention by Egypt will be according to the principles of international law,” the Egyptian leader stated. But the Western-based GNA called the Egyptian statement a “declaration of war.”

International reception

On Sunday the United States released a statement in response to el-Sisi’s remarks. “The United States strongly opposes military escalation in Libya – on all sides,” a National Security Council (NSC) statement said, urging “parties to commit to a ceasefire and resume negotiations immediately.”

As the Egyptian military mobilizes for a possible intervention on its western borders, the NSC hopes to steer progress through the ongoing negotiations between both sides. “We must build on progress made through the UN’s 5+5 talks, the Cairo Initiative, and the Berlin process,” the Council stated on the matter.

If an Egyptian incursion into Libya’s eastern districts would occur, it could pit several US allies against each other. France, Qatar, Egypt, the UAE and Turkey all have strong military ties to the US, and an escalation away from proxy war and towards direct military deployment could see US and European weaponry on both sides being used in what amounts to another dark page in Libya’s recent history.

France Repatriates 10 Children of ISIS Fighters From Syrian Camp

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On Monday, the French Foreign Ministry announced it has brought another ten children of Islamic State (ISIS) fighters back to France, adding to the 18 repatriated since March 2019. 

In the June 22 communique, France thanked local authorities for their cooperation and said the children are now in the hands of French medical and security services. 

“France has carried out the return of ten French minors, orphans or humanitarian cases, who were in camps in northeast Syria,” said the press release from the foreign ministry. 

“These children have been turned over to French judicial authorities, are receiving medical treatment and have been taken in by social services,” the ministry added.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria foreign relations commission co-chair Abdulkarim Omar confirmed via Twitter that a French delegation took charge of the “orphaned and humanitarian cases” in the city of Qamishli.

The International Crisis Group says 13,500 foreign women and their children are living across three camps in northeast Syria, and 300 of them are believed to be French. 

The issue of repatriating children taken to or born into the Islamic State’s so-called “caliphate” in Syria is fraught with logistical and policy challenges.

Human rights campaigners argue the French and other foreign governments have a duty of care to the children of foreign fighters. According to activists and members of their extended families, France should repatriate minors immediately, removing them from the physical and psychological dangers they face in the camps. 

“It is eminently possible to repatriate these families, there is no practical barrier to it, all that is needed at the moment is the political will to do so,” Mat Tinkler, the director of international programs and policy at Save the Children, told The Guardian in February. 

Disease and malnutrition are rife in the makeshift refugee-cum-prison camps like the notorious Al Hul, aid agencies report. Three children drowned after a rare summer downpour hit a camp in Idlib on the weekend, destroying tents and possessions and highlighting the tenuous and dangerous position of children living in Syrian camps. 

The French government maintains that the children’s parents should be forced to face justice in Syria, and said children will continue to be repatriated on a case-by-case basis. 

Foreign governments have cited the logistical and security challenges of accessing the camps as reasons for not providing assistance to the children. The Australian government, for one, said it is not willing to risk the lives of soldiers or Department of Foreign Affairs staff to rescue “hardcore” terrorists who “have the potential and capacity to come back here and cause a mass casualty event.”

The pro-Kurdish authorities who run the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria where the camps are located have urged foreign countries to repatriate detainees as they do not have the resources to hold them indefinitely. 

They have also escorted a number of foreign citizens, mainly women in children, to neighboring Iraq to facilitate the repatriation process and reduce the risk of repatriation for foreign governments. 

Read also: Caesar Act Sanctions: Another Blow to Syria’s Collapsing Economy 

 

Sudan, Egypt Push for Diplomatic Solution to GERD Dispute

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said his country is fully committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the political impasse of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Saturday, June 20. 

El-Sisi’s latest comments come a day after he called on the UN Security Council to intervene and help restart talks between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, which started on June 9 and stalled again on Wednesday, June 17. 

The $4 billion hydroelectric dam promises to bring untold development opportunities to Ethiopia but is seen as a major threat to human, food, and primarily water security in neighboring and downstream countries Egypt and Sudan. Dam talks failed in February, and there is a renewed focus on the issue since Addis Abba threatened to go ahead with filling the mega-reservoir in July, regardless of whether an agreement can be reached.

“For us, it is not mandatory to reach an agreement before starting filling the dam, hence, we will commence the filling process in the coming rainy season,” Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew said in an interview with the Associated Press (AP News) on June 19.  

“We are working hard to reach a deal, but still we will go ahead with our schedule whatever the outcome is. If we have to wait for others’ blessing, then the dam may remain idle for years, which we won’t allow to happen,” Gebu added.

For Egypt, which receives almost all its fresh water from the Nile, Ethiopia filling the dam before it secures a legal agreement ensuring minimum flows and dispute resolution is a matter of state survival.  

In his Saturday speech, el-Sisi said that referring the issue to the UN Security Council demonstrated Egypt’s goodwill and desire to “pursue diplomacy until the very last chance to resolve the crisis.” The location for the address — an airforce base — and his recent promise to send troops into Libya if the Sirte-Jufra “red-line” is crossed sends a stronger message. 

“We have set a rule for each of us: There should be neither harm nor malice, and I hope the Ethiopian people and their leadership will understand this message,” el-Sisi said.

 The Egyptian president reiterated that all states’ interests needed to be taken into account, but Ethiopia also needs to respect Egypt’s need for “life.”

“We need to move strongly towards concluding the negotiations and reach an agreement … and solutions that achieve the interest of all,” he said. 

Meanwhile, in a separate Saturday night statement, Sudanese Foreign Minister Asma Mohamed Abdalla said “recent rounds of negotiations on the Renaissance Dam have achieved a tangible progress in technical issues.” 

Abdalla said progress achieved during the latest round of negotiations was encouraging, and as a result, she believes the three countries can arrive at a diplomatic solution without external involvement from the UN, as el-Sisi has suggested. She also thanked South Africa, the United States, and the European Union for their roles as observers during multiple rounds of GERD negotiations. 

The Sudanese minister said that despite Wednesday’s progress, there are still differences “on some fundamental legal issues.” As a result, it “necessitated referring the file to the prime ministers of the three countries with the aim to reaching a political consensus that would lead to the resumption and completion of negotiations as soon as possible.”

Read also: Egypt Seeks EU Support to Break Arab-African Balance in GERD Standoff

Saudi Arabia Shakes off COVID-19 Curfew

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After months of strict COVID-19 curbs, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for residents of Saudi Arabia. As promised on May 26, the nationwide coronavirus curfew was lifted at 6 a.m. on Sunday, June 21, and the country’s commerce and sporting venues are reopening. 

It appears that, even though Saudi Arabia is looking towards a “new normal,” some restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Mandatory face masks and social distancing will remain, as will the ban on international travel and the Umrah pilgrimage until further notice.  

As of Sunday, commercial and economic activity will be allowed to restart, “provided utmost caution and protection are taken, as well as observance of full abidance by the precautionary measures and preventive procedures,” an official statement carried by state news outlet the Saudi Press Agency said on June 20. At present, gatherings cannot exceed 50 people, which may limit some workplaces and activities.  

On Saturday, in another piece of good news for Saudi Arabia’s business sector and workers, the Ministry of Human Resources and  Social Development said that workplaces can increase attendance to 75% starting June 29. In the meantime, the public sector is encouraged to continue to operate on a flexible timetable and facilitate “teleworking” for remote workers.     

Sports lovers across the country also rejoiced on Saturday when the Ministry of Sports announced Saudi Arabia’s sports centers and halls can reopen from June 21. Sports facilities must observe a number of COVID-19 control measures including equipment sterilization, providing hand sanitizer, enforcing social distancing, and encouraging patrons to bring and use their own equipment where possible. 

Handshakes and physical contact between athletes also remain off-limits under the Ministry of Sports guide. Contact sports like taekwondo and karate will have to wait a little longer before they can recommence tournaments, while spectators and audiences remain banned from all sporting events. 

As restrictions ease further, the Ministry of Interior reiterated its calls for all residents to download the country’s tracking and COVID-19 advice application. The new freedoms also came with a reminder that any workplace or individual violating precautionary measures will be prosecuted accordingly. 

On Saturday, the Ministry of Health reported 740 new infections, taking Saudi Arabia’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 154,233, including 1,230 fatalities and 98,917 recoveries. 

Read also: Saudi Arabia to Expand Library Network

Saudi Arabia to Expand Library Network

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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture announced on Friday a plan to radically overhaul the country’s public library system. Under the plan, which was launched by Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan, the kingdom has committed to opening 153 libraries by 2030.

The new libraries are designed to accommodate a variety of activities and will feature a book-borrowing section, theatre stages for live performances, cinema screens, and multipurpose halls. With the ability to host extensive cultural events, the libraries will bring together members of the public and foster knowledge-sharing. 

Developers will complete the first 13 libraries by 2022 with the remaining 140 to be completed by 2030. Saudi Arabia announced the plan following a review by the Ministry of Culture of the kingdom’s library system. 

The Libraries Authority will oversee the project, which is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader plan to support and advance its cultural sector. In February 2020, the Saudi government established 11 new authorities tasked with overseeing various cultural sectors including fashion, film, museums, theatre, and music. 

Announcing the new authorities, the Saudi Ministry of Culture said that “the aim is to promote culture as a lifestyle, contributing to economic growth and enhancing the Kingdom’s position internationally.” Promoting Saudi Arabia as a cultural hub is part of the government’s Saudi Vision 2030 reform plan which seeks to diversify the country’s economy and lessen its reliance on oil revenues. 

The extension of the country’s library network via the cultural hubs announced on Friday will provide a much needed space for emerging artists to nurture their talents. 

A ‘Radical’ Platform Features Work from MENA’s Contemporary Creatives

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In 2017, Nour Hassan wanted to provide young creatives in the Arab world with a platform and exposure that she felt was not forthcoming from established magazines. Three years later, Radical Contemporary has grown from an online magazine project to a creative platform and business providing brand building and consultancy services. 

Explaining the platform’s success, founder Hassan says she found a “gap in a micro niche market and pounced at the opportunity to create and collaborate.” Based between Cairo and Jeddah, the platform’s online content, which includes articles and creative showcases, is available for free. The accessibility contributes to the platform’s ability to drive the conversation and provide the exposure for young creatives that was central to the project’s founding. 

The platform is also a space for important cultural conversations. In one project, Hassan and the Radical Contemporary team tackled the pressure young girls from conservative families face to marry early. Titled “Runaway Love,” the piece combines text and photography to tell the story of a young woman who found the courage to leave a loveless relationship because she ultimately loved herself more. 

This convergence between culture and society or politics is a constant throughout the work on the platform. Another project tackles the dissatisfaction that the youth feel with the values of older generations through illustration, whilst a written piece provides tips for young women to succeed in a corporate workplace.  

In May this year, the Radical Contemporary team launched a podcast aimed at creating dialogues with and about emerging creatives from the region. The podcast, co-hosted by Hassan and Yasmine Kenawi, is an avenue for growing the platform’s audience and community. Explaining the podcast, Hassan says, “I am making sure we have conversations, and this is important because there isn’t really any dialogue on creatives in the region and their work.”

Podcasting is an increasingly popular means for creatives to share their work in the MENA region. Earlier this year, the Designers Marocain (Moroccan Designers) podcast launched to showcase the work of creatives from Morocco. With 14 episodes to date, the podcast, which features interviews in French and Darija (Moroccan Arabic), has explored relevant topics with artists, architects, jewelry designers, photographers, and graphic designers. 

A platform for good 

In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, creatives from the platform have come together to raise money for less fortunate members of Egyptian society. The campaign, launched April 15, aims to raise LE 25,000 to distribute food and hygiene packets to approximately 30 families in need.

In supporting the project, Hassan explains that Radical Contemporary is “trying to target the creative community and say let’s be creative in a different way— let’s create hope.” 

A Young Person’s View: Photography Confronts Morocco’s Stereotyped Image

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Morocco has captivated travelers and artists for centuries. There are countless books and paintings dedicated to the country’s chaotic souks, diverse landscapes, charming people, and incredible cuisine. However, for some Moroccans these portrayals are tired and do not reflect their everyday reality.  

Among them are a growing number of young Moroccan creatives who want to show a different side of the country, away from souks and tajines. For photographer Ismail Zaidy, it is about moving away from orientalist imagery and presenting a vision of modern Morocco. Zaidy says, “I try to show our culture and our identity in a way that isn’t so ‘traditional.'” 

To do this, Zaidy creates images that place the traditional, often represented by items of clothing such as the djellaba, in bare, modern settings. Zaidy explains, “the photos are taken in Morocco, but it doesn’t have to necessarily look like Morocco, or have art and patterns that people probably associate with Morocco either.” The clean lines and open spaces Zaidy uses are complemented by a palette of light pinks and blues. 

Mous Lamrabat is also mixing the modern and the traditional in photographs that combine elements of North African fashion and culture with logos from large Western corporations. In one image a man holds a watermelon slice, a summer staple in Morocco, shaped as the Nike swoosh. In another, produced during the coronavirus crisis, a man wears a McDonald’s fry packet as a mask. 

 

 

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You want some handgel with that?? #boredomestrikes model: @sefteling

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A commentary on the pervasiveness of consumerism, Lamrabat’s photographs fuse the artist’s two cultures, Moroccan and European. It is not all serious though, with the artist explaining that there is a deliberate humor to his work: “I love to laugh, it’s my favourite emotion, there is already so much negativity.” 

For Fatima Zohra Serri, who grew up in regional Morocco, her photographs are a means to tackle taboos and the inequality many women in Morocco still face. She says, “addressing women’s rights in my pictures is something that comes from my heart.” The 22-year-old draws her inspiration from her surroundings and the experiences of the women around her. 

In one photograph Serri posted on Instagram, a woman stands with only her bare legs and high heels visible, a mirror on the floor showing her torso’s reflection. The woman is wearing a hijab and loose black robe with her face slightly covered. Titled “The two sides of the same coin,” the image is open to a range of interpretations. 

 

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The two sides of the same coin. . . . . . #vsco #vscox #vscocam #instagram

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Perhaps it speaks to the duality of the female experience in Morocco. Many young women are forced to hide their modern lifestyles from conservative family members. Or maybe it is a comment on the objectification women in Morocco face regardless of whether or not they choose to dress conservatively. Serri does not elaborate beyond the title but the overwhelming positive comments suggest the image is well received by fans. 

As growing popularity sees these young artists share their works with larger audiences, the world is getting the opportunity to experience the country through their Moroccan eyes. 

US Reduces Forces in Afghanistan to 8,600

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The United States had reduced its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600, Marine General Frank McKenzie reported on June 18. The significant draw-down of military forces comes as part of a US-Taliban agreement signed in February that intends to reduce US involvement in the country. The deal requires a full withdrawal of US military forces by May 2021 as the Afghan government negotiates its own agreement with the Taliban.

Barriers to peace

“The war has no winner. All of us are losers in a war. The winner of peace will be the people of Afghanistan and our neighbors,” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told the Atlantic Council on June 11 as the conflict Afghanistan enters a new phase. But questions remain over the potential success of negotiations between Taliban and the government, which is losing power because of the US withdrawal and cuts of roughly $1 billion in US support.

“Devastated and ravaged by war, Afghanistan has continually suffered due to weak political dispensations and inadequate state resources, mainly due to infighting among the rulers of Afghanistan,” Ghani told the Atlantic Council.

Conditions

While the US has now met its conditions of the agreement, the Afghan government’s reluctance to release the “most dangerous” Taliban prisoners has received support from the government’s western partners, potentially endangering future peace talks. “There are some dangerous Taliban fighters named in the list, and releasing them is literally crossing a red line,” a senior European diplomat told Reuters.

Large-scale prisoner releases were part of the US-Taliban agreement, but many fear they endanger the balance of power between the government and the Taliban. While many prisoners have already been released, those involved in organizing suicide attacks on civilians remain in Afghani prisons.

Disagreement

“The United States continues to be encouraged by the great progress on prisoners release by both sides. We support additional releases by both sides to get the issue off the table,” a spokesman of the US military said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid agreed as the Taliban continues to insist all 5,000 prisoners are released before peace talks can commence.

The Taliban says their list of 5,000 prisoners to be released as part of the agreement include no high-profile fighters involved in attacks, disputing government and NATO claims. “There are no such people, these are just excuses to create barriers against the peace process,” Mujahid told Reuters.

The US appears confident that the Taliban will no longer pose the threat to the US that led to the 2001 invasion of the country. “Conditions would have to be met that satisfy us — that attacks against our homeland are not going to be generated from Afghanistan,” General McKenzie stressed.