Muslim countries discuss strategies to counter terror in war-torn region
by Daily Sabah
ISTANBULFeb 17, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah
Feb 17, 2015 12:00 am
Interior Minister Ala attended an Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Saudi Arabia where members decided to address the problems that allow terrorist groups like ISIS to grow
Interior Minister Efkan Ala and representatives of other executive member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) came together in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, in which the organization announced a package of urgent measures to prevent the rapid spread of terrorism, which has hit a number of OIC member states, and halt a surge of violence in the Muslim world. The meeting called for holding conferences, seminars and workshops with the participation of political leaders, clerics, community leaders, scholars and experts to discuss the best possible ways of responding to the terrorist threat, electronic security and to work with OIC member states to develop a new approach and treatment of sectarian violence.
As part of its role in the anti-ISIS coalition, Turkey allowed Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces to access its territory to enter into the Syrian town of Kobani, which has recently been cleared of ISIS control. Turkey also deported over 1,000 foreign fighters, many of whom are from the Western world, either on request of their home country or after discovering their connection to the militant group.
The executive committee of OIC, which comprises of members from Egypt, Senegal, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Guinea and the secretary-general, called for the development of an appropriate mechanism to face new trends of terrorism in member states.
The meeting comes in response to a call by OIC Secretary-General Iyad Madani to tackle terrorist attacks in the region. The meeting was chaired by Saudi Arabia. It discussed a number of mechanisms and strategies to fight terrorism and extremism.
Interior Minister Ala met his Saudi counterpart Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, a statement said on Monday. The statement issued by the Turkish interior ministry said the two ministers discussed security issues in Syria, Iraq and Yemen and boosting cooperation in these areas.
Ala and Nayef also decided to maintain collaboration in security, fighting terrorism and intelligence, the statement read. Ala invited his counterpart to Turkey and said his country was ready to conduct effective cooperation in the defense industry as well as training police and gendarmerie forces.
The Turkish minister arrived in Jeddah on Sunday to attend a meeting regarding fighting terrorism and extremism held by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. "Terrorism cannot be solved with security measures," said Ala during his speech at the meeting, where he called for a joint struggle to fight issues that incite terror.
After deporting hundreds of people coming from Western countries to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq as part of the struggle against terrorism, Turkey has proved its determination to fight against ISIS by catching fighters who seek to join the ranks of the extremists. On every possible occasion, including the NATO summit in Wales and the G20 summit in Australia, Turkish leaders have said international cooperation and intelligence sharing is vital to combat the influx of foreign fighters into ISIS-held regions in Syria and Iraq. France also apprehended and interrogated its citizens who were deported by Turkey, and in some cases deported French citizens arrived back in Turkey to join ISIS, but were sent back to France again.
Turkish security forces, which have been exerting great efforts to hinder the flow of foreign fighters who travel from different parts of the world to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq, caught 14 suspects last week on the border to be delivered back to their countries. Turkey is diligently guarding its borders against the threat of fighters moving in and out of its territory, and continues to be a key figure in the coalition against ISIS.
The U.S.-led airstrikes that launched a war against ISIS have failed to halt the momentum of foreign fighters seeking to join the ranks of ISIS. The latest in a series of Turkey's efforts was the apprehension of 14 suspects on February 9 by Turkish security forces. Turkey deported dozens of foreign fighters before they could cross the border in January. Ten-thousand people from 91 countries have also been banned from entering Turkey, and 1,085 people from 74 countries were deported for similar reasons thus far.
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