Dr. Mohammed Ali Koman, Secretary General of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, affirmed today that the challenges arising from the Corona pandemic and its implications have doubled the volume of tasks assigned to the security agencies, including ensuring the implementation of the measures taken in this regard aimed at preserving the societies' public health. In a speech delivered today at the opening session of 23rd Arab Conference of Officials Responsible for Combating Terrorism at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers in the Tunisian capital, Koman said that "under the current circumstances, it was not surprising that terrorist organizations would exploit the security apparatus's focus on carrying out their tasks to rearrange their ranks and restructure their groups." Despite the ongoing health challenges resulting from the pandemic, Dr. Koman said that the security agencies have been fulfilling their duties in confronting terrorist organizations and thwarting their criminal plans, stressing the Council's keenness to ensure that this pandemic does not affect anti-terrorism activities, and to sustain a continued pan Arab cooperation as well as cooperation between the Council and other regional and international organizations active in this field. Koman pointed out that the General Secretariat held several meetings remotely during the pandemic, while other had to be postponed due to the fact that these meetings needed physical attendance, particularly those relevant to the framework of the joint path with the United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism in order to develop an Arab strategy to combat terrorism. As such, he said, all concerned parties agreed to extend this path for an additional year. According to the Secretary General, the conference's agenda will be discussing a number of important issues, including the emerging challenges facing the fight against terrorism in the Arab region, the exploitation of cryptocurrencies in financing terrorism, the recruitment of children and dealing with returning terrorist fighters, as well as the establishment of a team of Arab experts to monitor terrorist threats and implement an immediate analysis of terrorist activities.
