Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said any effective strategy in combating the threat of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) in a world that increasingly recognizes no borders must entail “enhanced operational collaboration and timely information-sharing.”
“On the international level, we are of the view that any action in countering this phenomenon should be taken through collective coordination and involve cooperation of governments, particularly in information sharing and notification,” Gholam Ali Khoshroo told the UN High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies in New York on Thursday, Tasnim News Agency reported.
He said “relevant UN reports indicate that over 25,000 foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) had gone to Syria from over 100 countries. This figure demonstrates that the threat related to the FTFs is complicated and multi-faceted and needs urgent attention of the international community.”
Destructive Ideology
Khoshroo said analyzing the root causes of why people are attracted to the terrorist organizations shows that factors as dictatorship, poverty, corruption and discrimination are among the leading factors.
“Experience and facts clearly show that only a destructive ideology can turn an otherwise peaceful human into a destructive being.”
This dark extremist ideology is commonly used to legitimize acts of violence and cannot be eliminated only through military, political, or economic means, the envoy said, adding that any effective strategy against FTFs must entail in the first place “a major cultural and ideological component.”
“It is essential that member states strengthen cooperation at the international, regional, sub-regional and bilateral levels, including through enhanced operational collaboration and timely information-sharing,” he added.
Khoshroo said Iran is a victim of terrorism and that 17,000 of its citizens have been affected by terrorist attacks in the past.
