On 28 February 2019, the Counter-Terrorism Committee held an informal joint meeting with the Security Council ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, and the Security Council 1988 (Taliban) Sanctions Committee, to receive a briefing by Mr. Igor Sirotkin, Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), Head of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) Central Office and NAC Deputy Chairman.
Mr. Sirotkin briefed the three committees, as well as invited entities, on the main outcomes of the XVIIth Meeting of Heads of Special Services, Security Agencies, and Law Enforcement Organizations that took place in Moscow, Russia, in November 2018. Before giving a brief overview of progress, the Deputy Director listed the evolving threats that Russia and the participants needed to be aware of. Mr. Sirotkin highlighted progress in suppressing and deteriorating international terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq, such as ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusrah, whose manpower and resources have been diminished by sustained counter-terrorism efforts. However, the threat is expanding to other countries that have never confronted the threat of terrorism, according to the Deputy Director. Mr. Sirotkin also mentioned other latent threats, such as the possibility of a merger of Al-Qaida’s and ISIL’s capabilities, the spouses and children of terrorists, and advances in new technologies, particularly related to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), sophisticated digital technologies, and encrypted mobile applications used to attract, recruit, and radicalize new followers.
According to the Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), the threat is expanding to other countries that have never confronted the threat of terrorism.
In his briefing, Mr. Sirotkin stressed the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to countering terrorism, and presented the Comprehensive Plan for Terrorism Ideology Prevention designed by the Russian National Antiterrorism Committee. He also underscored the importance of the International Counterterrorism Database, which has the adequate structure and technical capabilities to counteract foreign terrorist fighters.
The annual meeting served as an opportunity for Mr. Sirotkin to present and emphasize the positive outcomes derived from the implementations of measures related to security provisions at the FIFA World Cup in 2018: “Our collaborative work with the foreign partners on security provisions of the FIFA World Cup was a vivid example of successful consolidation of efforts of the security/intelligence and law-enforcement community against global threats.”
Earlier in the day, Mr. Sirotkin met with the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Assistant Secretary-General Michèle Coninsx, to discuss the cooperation between the Counter-Terrorism Committee/CTED and FSB; they agreed to continue working together to support counter-terrorism efforts globally.
The English version of Mr. Sirotkin’s statement can be accessed here.
The Russian version of Mr. Sirotkin’s statement can be accessed here.