Open briefing of the Counter-Terrorism Committee

“The work of CTED with the Member States of South and South-East Asia pursuant to Security Council resolution 2395 (2017)”

Monday, 14 February 2022, 10.00 a.m.-1.00 p.m.

United Nations Headquarters, New York, Economic and Social Council Chamber

Opening remarks by Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations,

Chair, Counter-Terrorism Committee

Excellencies, distinguished participants,

I welcome you all to today’s open briefing of the Counter-Terrorism Committee on “The work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate with the Member States of South and South-East Asia pursuant to Security Council resolution 2395 (2017)”.

I wish to offer a particular welcome to the representatives of the States of South and South-East Asia and other participating Member States.

I also welcome the representatives of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the International Criminal Police Organization, INTERPOL.

Excellencies, distinguished participants,

You may recall that the Committee held an informal meeting on community engagement to counter terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in South and South-East Asia in June 2018.

During that meeting, we learned in particular about the development of an all-of-society counter-terrorism approach by the States of the two subregions. As a follow up to that meeting I request the member states that in their statements today they may also focus on the progress achieved, remaining challenges, technical assistance needs, and next steps in all aspects of countering terrorism.

It is unfortunate that during the period that followed the informal meeting, terrorist threat to the countries of the sub-regions remained high. ISIL, Al Qaida and the UN designated terrorist groups and individuals operating within the territory of a country and across the border, continue to target civilian as well as military objects.

For instance, Sri Lanka experienced a series of attack in April 2019. Three luxury hotels in Colombo were attacked by suicide bombers and three churches in different cities were attacked during Easter service. On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked in a suicide attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed in which 40 Indian security personnel were killed. Since it’s formation in 2015, Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) carried out numerous attacks against churches in Indonesia, including the suicide attack on 28 March 2021 on a Church in Makasar. The Abu Sayyaf Group attacked worshipers attending mass at a Catholic cathedral in Jolo, Philippines, in January 2019. On 26 March 2020, ISIL- Khorasan attacked a Sikh Temple in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing more than 25 people of Sikh faith. And more recently, on August 2021, the ISIL-Khorasan organized a suicide attack on Kabul International Airport, which resulted in the death and injuries of dozens of civilians, including children, and military personnel.

The latter half of 2021 saw consequential change in Afghanistan with the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August, the concurrent collapse of the Government of Afghanistan, and the humanitarian crisis that followed. The recent 1988 Committee report to the Security Council noted that the ties between the Taliban, largely through the Haqqani Network, and the Al-Qaida and foreign terrorist fighters remain close and are based on ideological alignment and relationships forged through common struggle and intermarriage.

The linkages between the Taliban, Al-Qaida, and terrorist entities proscribed by the Security Council, such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, are a further source of concern. And therefore, serious concern remains that Afghanistan may become a safe haven for Al Qaida and a number of terrorist groups in the region.

The Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan also poses a complex security threat outside the region, particularly in parts of Africa, where terrorist groups may try to emulate the Taliban’s example.

Since their military defeat in the conflict zones of the Middle East, ISIL and Al-Qaida have been seeking to establish a foothold in both South and South-East Asia.

Foreign terrorist fighters who travelled to the conflict zones from the region, as well as their accompanying family members — including women and children — have been returning to their countries of origin.

Many offenders are also due to complete their sentences and be released back into society in the coming months and years, posing a further security threat.

We are also aware that the misuse of information and communications technologies (ICT) — including new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, “deep fakes”, and Blockchain — for terrorist purposes is on the increase. Use of drones for cross-border trafficking of arms, drugs and launching terror attacks have also remained an issue of serious concern.

We can and must harness the power of new technologies to counter terrorist threats in a responsible and human-rights compliant manner, while not forgetting the fact that as per UNSC resolution 1566 (2004), it is terrorism which seriously impairs the enjoyment of human rights and threaten the social and economic development of all States and undermine global stability and prosperity.

The Committee and CTED have remained closely engaged with the Member States of South and South-East Asia to assist them in their efforts to address the constantly evolving terrorist threat.

In its resolutions 2395 (2017) and 2617 (2021), the Security Council directs CTED to make country assessments, recommendations, surveys, and analytical products available throughout the United Nations system, to better align United Nations technical assistance and capacity-building with gaps in implementation identified by CTED.

The assessment visits and findings of the Counter-Terrorism Committee have become a primary source of reference for technical assistance providers and donors.

I am pleased to note that a growing number of States of the region visited by the Committee have given their consent to the sharing of the Committee’s visit findings, either in part or in whole, including for the purpose of facilitating technical assistance.

Excellencies, distinguished participants,

Today’s briefing provides us an opportunity to hear from the member states, particularly those from the region, as to how do they perceive the terrorist threat spectrum, what has been their experience, best practices in combating terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, as well as in implementing the Security Council counter-terrorism resolutions, including resolution 1373, and 1624.

I hope that today’s meeting will be proven useful to further strengthen the Committee support to and cooperation with the countries of South and Southeast Asia to effectively deal with the threat of terrorism.

Thank you.