MOSCOW, September 25 (RIA Novosti), Ekaterina Blinova - The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has announced a new Foreign Terrorist Fighter (FTF) program, which is aimed at preventing transnational terrorism, monitoring foreign fighters and limiting their movement.
"Through this program, Interpol will provide an unparalleled mechanism for addressing the threat from FTFs by helping to monitor and deter their international movement and interdict them at strategic entry points, where possible. Composed of the National Central Bureaus (NCB) of more than 30 member countries, the program was established in response to the need for a forum for sharing intelligence and best practices on a global scale to combat the threat of foreign terrorist fighters traveling to Iraq and Syria," an official statement, published on the US Department of Justice website, reads.
The new FTF program will be conducted in close partnership with the National Security Council, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. It will utilize the most advanced technological tools, including Interpol's system of advisory notices, its criminal investigative and analytical databases, secure communications systems, as well as the detailed information and biometrics data of "foreign terrorist fighters."
"Interpol provides critical leadership in advancing the Justice Department’s efforts to combat terrorism and ensure the safety of all Americans – offering cutting-edge resources, a structure for international cooperation, and strategic tools like Red, Blue and Green Notices for tracing, targeting and apprehending terror suspects," said US Attorney General Eric Holder, according to an official press release.
Interpol's new law enforcement initiative has brought together more than 30 of its member countries, which have already "coalesced into a dedicated FTF program." The working group includes Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Turkey, the UK, and the US, which make use of "an international symposia" – a huge multinational data base that has been amassed by 190 member countries.
"The criminal intelligence information contained in the database includes detailed identity particulars that are especially valuable to law enforcement and border control authorities in making determinations of the terrorist threat posed by subjects located in, or attempting to enter, their respective jurisdictions," the statement says.
Foreign jihadists who have traveled to the conflict zones in Syria and Iraq, as well as terror suspects, will be kept under surveillance and "pretty soon will have no place to hide," the New York Post notes.
Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, emphasized that "the threat posed by foreign fighters is one that is persistent and requires the full cooperation and resources of the international law enforcement community to effectively combat."
Reuters underscores that the Obama Administration has focused on "halting the flow of radicalized Americans" to Middle Eastern conflict zones. The media outlet points out that up to 15,000 foreign fighters are taking part in military activity in Syria, including 3,000 Europeans and about 100 Americans.
