Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 13 February 2018

US and Egypt pledge allegiance in IS fight raging in Sinai

By BRIAN ROHAN across the Arab world’s and civilians.
Associated Press most populous country. Attacks picked up after
CAIRO (AP) — The United At a joint news conference President Abdel-Fattah el-
States and Egypt on Mon- with Shoukry, Tillerson said Sissi overthrew his elected
day reaffirmed their com- Egypt was an important but divisive Islamist prede-
mitment to battle Islamic part of the anti-IS coalition cessor, Mohammed Morsi
militants in the Middle East and that Washington was of the Muslim Brotherhood,
as U.S. Secretary of State “committed to strengthen- in 2013. And militants have
Rex Tillerson held talks with ing this partnership in the become more brazen of
Egyptian officials in Cairo years to come.” late. In November they
at the start of his week-long “We agreed that we would massacred 311 people at
trip to the region. continue our close coop- a north Sinai mosque, and
Tillerson and his Egyp- eration on counterterror- in December they tried to
tian counterpart, Sameh ism measures, including our kill the defense and inte-
Shoukry, cited productive joint commitment to the rior ministers with a missile
discussions on regional defeat of IS,” Tillerson said. attack during an unan-
security and the struggle “We highly value this rela- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, meets Egyptian Foreign nounced visit to the area.
against the Islamic State tionship and we thank the Minister Sameh Shoukry, in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 12, 2018. North Sinai has long been
group, whose Egyptian United States for what it (Khaled ElFiqi, Pool via AP) under emergency law, with
affiliate, based in the Si- presents to Egypt in terms said, adding that Cairo Sinai, where Islamic extrem- a nighttime curfew in place
nai Peninsula, has struck of support, which benefits hoped to further boost co- ists have been leading an in some hot spots, but alert
military and civilian targets both countries,” Shoukry operation. insurgency for years, and in levels have been height-
The visit comes as Egypt is remote areas of the main- ened in recent days due to
undertaking a major mili- land where militants have the new offensive, called
tary operation in volatile attacked security forces Sinai 2018. q

$88.2B price tag to rebuild Iraq after IS war

By MALAK HARB needed, Iraqi officials say. to be rebuilt in Mosul alone.
JON GAMBRELL ”We finished one battle but “The majority of the dam-
Associated Press we are engaged now with age was to western Mosul
KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Ku- a war for reconstruction,” as it went through one of
wait on Monday opened a said Mustafa al-Hiti, the the worst and fiercest bat-
week of conferences seek- head of Iraq’s reconstruc- tles in history,” said Nofal
ing aid for rebuilding Iraq tion fund for areas affected al-Akoub, the governor of
after the onslaught of the by terrorist operations. Iraq’s Nineveh province. It
Islamic State group, seek- Among the hardest-hit ar- “led to the total destruction
ing tens of billions of dollars eas is Mosul, which Iraqi of its infrastructure.”
for a nation only a genera- forces, aided by Iranian- Al-Akoub said $42 billion
tion ago that invaded it. backed Shiite militias and was needed for his prov-
Authorities estimate Iraq a U.S.-led coalition, recap- ince alone, as it is home to
needs $88.2 billion to re- tured in July 2017. Mosul.
store a country smashed Their victory came at a Iraq needs some $20 billion
after the Sunni extremists steep cost for Mosul, as now to begin its reconstruc-
seized the country’s sec- coalition airstrikes and ex- tion, al-Hiti said.
ond-largest city of Mosul tremist suicide car bombs The war against the Islam-
and a mass of territory in destroyed homes and gov- ic State group displaced
June 2014. ernment buildings. more than 5 million people.
While the U.S. will not make Of the money needed, Only half have returned to
any new direct aid pledges Iraqi officials estimate $17 their hometowns in Iraq.
at the conference, Secre- billion alone needs to go However, officials acknowl-
tary of State Rex Tillerson toward rebuilding homes, edge a feeling of fatigue
is expected to announce the biggest single line item from international donors,
an over $3 billion financial offered Monday on the first especially after the wars
package, an American of- day of meetings. in Iraq and Syria sparked
ficial said. The United Nations esti- the biggest mass migration
Still, far more money will be mates 40,000 homes need since World War II.q