Special services are noting the instances of militants’ return to the countries of their living from the Syrian conflict zone, chief of the CIS Anti-Terror Center (ATC), Colonel-General Andrei Novikov, said on Wednesday, according to Russian TASS news agency.
“The information that we have received and is confirmed by our partners shows that the number of militants who are trying to penetrate the Syrian-Iraqi zone is contracting very intensively now while the process of the return of such persons to the countries of their living is currently under way,” Novikov was cited as saying during a break in the work of the 10th conference of the heads of CIS anti-terror centers that took place in Moscow oblast.
The conference reportedly focused on the issues related to the border regime and the filtration of militants returning from the zone of combat operations.
The conference also discussed measures to counter terrorism financing within the CIS area, a draft agreement on the exchange of information among CIS states on the struggle against terrorism and other violent manifestations of extremism and their financing.
“The agreement was signed quite long ago and now the process of its adoption in the states is under way.” Novikov said, noting that the agreement will intensify operational interaction among special services.
The conference’s agenda was prompted by the situation in the Afghan-Pakistani and the Syrian-Iraqi zones where the Islamic State (IS) international terrorist organization is concentrating its potential, he said.
According to him, representatives of actually all special services and law-enforcement agencies of the CIS states – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – have arrived to attend the 10th jubilee CIS anti-terror conference.
The Commonwealth of Independent States Anti-Terrorism Center was established by the decision of the Council of the CIS Heads of State of June 21, 2000 and is a permanent specialized institution of the CIS. The CIS ATC provides coordination of activity of the CIS competent authorities in the sphere of combating international terrorism and other acts of extremism.
Tajik authorities say more than 1,000 nationals have joined IS militants in Syria and Iraq.
