March 3, 2024
Press Release Number 20240303-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TAMPA, Fla. – From Feb. 26 to Mar. 2, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander, visited Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Israel in the CENTCOM region to better understand the security and humanitarian situation and meet with U.S. service members and security partners.
On Feb. 27, Gen. Kurilla traveled to Al Arish and Rafah Gate in Egypt where he met with representatives from several international and nongovernmental organizations, the Egyptian 2nd Field Army, and US embassy leadership to discuss the process of delivering humanitarian aid from Egypt into Gaza. The administrators described the challenges, opportunities, and level of support from the international community to increase the throughput of supplies into Gaza.
On Feb. 28, Gen. Kurilla traveled to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan where he met with the Jordanian Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maj. Gen. Yousef Alhnaity, his staff, and other leaders to discuss the Israel-Hamas War, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and regional security. The leaders also discussed opportunities to increase aid into Gaza to address the humanitarian crisis.
On Feb. 28 and 29, Gen. Kurilla visited CENTCOM military facilities in Jordan and Syria, including Tower 22, Al Tanf Garrison, Rumalyn Landing Zone, MSS Euphrates, and MSS Green Village to assess continued improvements in force protection, meet with local leaders, and gain a firsthand understanding of the progress made in the Defeat-ISIS Campaign.
While in Syria, Gen. Kurilla visited al Roj and al Hol displaced persons camps. At the camps, he met with administrators and dozens of inhabitants to discuss repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of both ISIS detainees and conflict-affected residents. More than 45,000 displaced persons are in both al Roj and al Hol, and over 9,000 ISIS detainees are in Syria.
From Feb. 28 to Mar. 2., Gen. Kurilla traveled to Israel and met with Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, the Chief of the Israeli General Staff, Herzi Halevi, and members of the IDF staff. The three had wide-ranging discussions on security concerns both within and outside of Israel. The conversations also focused on opportunities to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Gen. Kurilla also met with the Israeli Coordination and Liaison Authority, which operates under the Coordinator of Government Activities and the Territories (COGAT) and is responsible for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gazan residents. Gen. Kurilla also met with the Commander of Northern Command and the Director of the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.
"This was my 27th trip to the CENTCOM region and every one of these trips allows me to gain a deeper understanding of the security challenges and opportunities as well as the unique perspectives that cannot be attained over the phone or through a video teleconference," said Gen. Kurilla. "These are challenging times in the CENTCOM region, and we rely on the professionalism, commitment and competence of our Service-members as well as the strength of our relationships with our partners to solve them."