The threat of ISIS in Africa is a “grave concern” that requires a global effort to overcome, foreign ministers in the global coalition to defeat the group said on Monday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also gave a warning that the 10,000 ISIS foreign fighters currently held in prisons in northern Syria could not be detained there indefinitely.
He called on the countries from which the terrorists originated to process the foreign fighters through their own judicial systems. This would include nations such as Britain and France, who witnessed hundreds of extremists leaving home to fight for ISIS.
"Ten thousand ISIS fighters remain in SDF [Syria Democratic Forces] detention in Syria," Mr Blinken said.
“This situation is simply untenable. It just can’t persist indefinitely. The US continues to urge countries of origin, including coalition partners, to repatriate, rehabilitate and, where applicable, prosecute their citizens.”
His words followed a meeting of senior politicians in Rome, after which they issued a communique announcing a united effort against ISIS.
While there was no firm commitment of troops or extra financing, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS has now grown to almost 60 countries.
“What we have to do is to eradicate what's left of the terrorist group and very critically, as Italy has been emphasising, to prevent its emergence in places like Africa,” said Mr Blinken, who co-chaired the meeting.
His concerns were echoed Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who said there was an “alarming phenomenon taking place on the African continent”, particularly in West Africa and Mozambique.
The summit agreed to establish an Africa working group to identify and “curb the size of terrorist-related threats” on the continent.
“We fear the expansion and spread of Daesh in Africa and therefore, at the ministerial meeting we invited some African countries that are not coalition members, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, for example, as observers,” said Mr Di Maio.
In the first in-person meeting of the coalition since 2019, their joint communiqué pledged determination both to prevent an ISIS resurgence in Iraq and Syria and to address “urgent security challenges” in Africa.
“We are firmly united in our outrage at atrocities perpetrated by Daesh/ISIS and in our determination to eliminate this global threat,” they said.
They added that the Africa terrorist groups were producing the “greatest volume of Daesh … toxic propaganda”.
The communique said that support would be given to African partners “upon their request and prior consent”.
The US said at the summit it was naming ISIS leader Ousmane Illiassou Djibo, also known as "Petit Chapori", as a specially designated global terrorist by executive order.
The Nigerian was described as a “close collaborator and key lieutenant” of the Sahel’s ISIS leader, Adnan Abu Walid Al Sahrawi.
Djibo was designated as a terrorist target after he developed a network to kidnap or attack westerners in Niger and surrounding areas.
Mr Blinken also announced that the US was providing an additional $436 million in aid to Syrians to address “the urgent humanitarian crisis” there, with millions “in dire need of food, medicine and Covid vaccines”.
He said that ministers would “refocus on a path to a lasting political solution in Syria” as that was only way to “provide the Syrian people with the foundation upon which to reconcile, make peace and begin to rebuild”.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the summit that Britain would pour an extra £12.6m ($17.5m) into tackling ISIS in Africa, including on efforts to help fighters leave the group.
The UK government highlighted concerns over the group's presence in West African nations, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
Mr Raab echoed Mr Blinken's warning over Syrian camps, saying the deteriorating situation represented a "growing threat to security".
"Let’s make no mistake, the threat from Daesh remains," Mr Raab said. "We must keep up the pressure on Daesh, wherever its poisonous influence spreads."
A ministerial meeting on Syria was attended by the governments of the US, Italy, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, and representatives of the League of Arab States and EU.
The meeting agreed to support humanitarian efforts to address the crisis in the country.
"We welcomed UN special envoy Geir Pedersen’s briefing and reaffirmed strong support for UN-led efforts to implement all aspects of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, including continued support for an immediate nationwide ceasefire, the unimpeded and safe delivery of aid, and the Constitutional Committee, as well as fighting against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," a statement said.
"Reaffirming the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, we remain committed to continue working actively to reach a credible, sustainable, and inclusive political solution based on Resolution 2254. This is the only solution that will bring an end to Syria’s decade long conflict and guarantee the security of the Syrian people and fulfil their aspirations."
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
SPECS
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
