Violent Extremism Spiraling Out of Control?
With the surge of terrorism that continues to plague the Middle East, the United States of America underlined the importance of partnerships to counter the rise of terrorism.
In her remarks in on Al-Qaida, the Islamic State, and the Future of the Global Jihadi Movement at Washington DC, Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator Tina S. Kaidanow for Counterterrorism said there is a need to diversify American approach by bringing strong, capable, and diverse partners to the forefront and enlisting their help in the mutually important endeavor of global counterterrorism.
“A successful approach to counterterrorism must therefore revolve around partnerships.” – Ambassador Kaidanow
She emphasized that the vital role that of US partners play has become even clearer in over the last year with the emergence of ISIS as a hugely destructive force in Iraq and Syria.
She highlighted that US and its partners set priorities on counterterrorim acitivities particularly countering the unprecedented seizure of territory in Iraq and Syria by ISIS.
How US and partners address the surge of terrorism
According to Ambassador Kaidanow, US and partners organized regionally-based strategies in place to counter ISIS especially it was discovered in 2014 that eight terrorist groups have announced their alliance to ISIS across the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, Russia’s Northern Caucasus, and South Asia.
“We have been continuously working with a range of partners – bilaterally with governments and militaries.” – Ambassador Kaidanow
US is also working with UN, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and regional organizations and also with elements of civil society, including NGOs, religious leaders, the private sector and others
To counter the terrorist groups, under the leadership of Special Presidential Envoy General John Allen, they have assembled a Global Coalition of more than 60 nations and international organizations.
The Coalition is on the mission to disrupt the flow of foreign terrorist fighters; disrupting access to financial and economic resources; providing humanitarian relief and stabilization support; and countering ISIS messaging.
In addition, to guard against the movement of terrorists across borders, the United States now has information-sharing agreements with over 40 international partners to identify and track the travel of suspected terrorists.
“We also are encouraging our partners to further increase security at their borders to better identify, restrict, and report travel of suspected foreign terrorist fighters.” – Ambassador Kaidanow
The collaboration with US partners means sharing passenger name records and advanced passenger information.
Terrorism Challenges Continue to Evolve at a Rapid Pace
According to Ambassador Kaidanow, ISIS has been growing in numbers particularly foreign fighters have travelled to Iraq and Syria to join the group.
Ambassasor considered it as the new phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters traveling to conflict zones, most prominently Iraq and Syria.
It is known fact that since the conflict in Syria and Iraq began, more than 25,000 foreign terrorist fighters from more than 100 countries have traveled to that region. To confirm this report, there are reportedly over 250 Americans who have traveled or attempted to travel to Iraq and Syria to fight with ISIS and al-Qa’ida since 2012.
In addition, Ambassador Kaidanow pointed out that ISIS’s particularly effective use of the internet and social media to radicalize, recruit, fundraise, and propagandize poses unique and specific challenges for their efforts. Social media become a tool to spread violent extremism directly to massive users.
Daesh Terror In Iraq
The rebel fighters belong to the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.
The terroristic moves were not something new for the group, known for its insurgency operations in Nineveh and other provinces.
Mosul was the second city to be seized by the militants in 2014. The Iraqi government lost control of Fallujah earlier in 2014.
At the time aggression raged in Mosul, the International Organization for Migration estimated the number of people displaced by violence in Mosul and surrounding areas of Ninewa governorate reached 500,000.
Daesh still apears to receive funding from oil revenue and wealthy donors in the Arab Gulf states.
In August 2014, Assyrians in the US were reporting that ISIS was killing their families and friends in Iraq. WGN TV in Chicago reported that “The largest group of Iraqi Christians outside of Iraq lives in Chicago.”
