counter-terrorism – European Affairs Magazine

Iraq: La Task Force Praesidium conclude il primo ciclo di addestramento delle forze di sicurezza irachene

12 Dicembre 2017 Difesa/SICUREZZA di

Le forze armate italiane della Task Force Praesidium hanno concluso un primo ciclo di addestramento nei confronti della Polizia irachena e delle Unità del Counter Terrorism, impiegate dal governo di Baghdad presso la diga di Mosul.

Poligoni, superamento di pareti verticali in assetto “full equipped” e combined urban warfare training sono le attività ritenute determinanti dai vertici delle Forze di Sicurezza Irachene e condotte a favore e con il Counter Terrorism Service. Quest’ultima è un’unità di altissimo livello, già impiegata in questa zona nei mesi precedenti, nell’attività di liberazione da Daesh, avvenuta nel mese di luglio 2017.

In particolare, grazie ai Team di Istruttori di alpinismo, sono state sviluppate differenti sessioni addestrative per il superamento di ostacoli verticali e di arrampicata in assetto operativo, fornendo alla componente delle forze speciali nuove conoscenze nell’ambito del più specifico “Mountain Warfare”.

Diverse invece le attività di addestramento svolte nei confronti delle forze di Polizia. L’insieme delle lezioni si chiama Wide Area Security Force Course. L’obiettivo è fornire alle ISF (la polizia federale in questo caso) le capacità per incrementare la sicurezza di siti sensibili e attuare le diverse misure di protezione contro possibili atti ostili. Sono state aumentate la dimestichezza e la sicurezza nell’uso delle armi in dotazione, oltre che integrate le procedure di primo soccorso e di controllo dei Check Point, con un occhio di riguardo rispetto all’attività di individuazione e di riconoscimento degli “ Improvised Explosive Device”(Ordigni Esplosivi Improvvisati).

Questi ordigni sono difficilmente riconoscibili, non hanno forme e dimensioni definite. La potenza in alcuni casi può essere anche di gran lunga superiore ad una mina anti-carro di produzione industriale. Gli “IED” vengono spesso usati in situazione di guerriglia o dalle organizzazioni terroristiche.

In questa zona, inoltre, le forze italiane stanno lavorando a stretto contatto con quelle irachene per la stabilizzazione del paese dopo il periodo di occupazione dell’Isis. In questo ambito è stato creato un “Civil Affair Team” della Task Force Praesidium. Quest’unità lavora per la ricostruzione e per lo sviluppo socio-economico delle aree che erano sotto il controllo del Daesh

US Secretary of State promises Egypt FM more aid for Cairo's counter-terrorism efforts

28 Febbraio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson promised more aid for Cairo’s counter-terrorism efforts and economic development plan during a meeting with Egyptian counterpart SamehShoukry in Washington on Monday, adding that the Washington considers Cairo a real partner in the Middle East. The two officials stressed during their meeting the special and strategic ties that have binded the two countries for decades, vowing more cooperation on all levels. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that Shoukry updated his US counterpart on the latest economic and security developments in Egypt, as well as the country’s counter-terrorism efforts. The two ministers also discussed a range of regional issues, including the Syrian crisis, where Shoukry stressed the importance of reaching a political solution to the conflict in a way that preserves the country’s territorial integrity and national institutions and achieves the hopes of the Syrian people. Shoukry also spoke with Tillerson about Egypt’s political efforts to end the crisis in Libya in accordance with the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement of 2015. On the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Egyptian FM stressed the necessity of establishing a Palestinian state, pointing to Cairo’s efforts to return both sides to the negotiating table.
Shoukry will also discuss with US officials preparations for Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s upcoming visit to the US to meet with President Donald Trump, which will be the first meeting between an Egyptian and US president in years. The last official meeting in Washington of the countries’ two leaders was between former presidents Hosni Mubarak and George W. Bush in 2004.

CIA Director awarded Saudi Prince bin Naif with the “George Tenet” medal

12 Febbraio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

CIA Director Mike Pompeo awarded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif with the “George Tenet” medal due to his efforts to fight terrorism. This award is an international recognition of the Kingdom’s anti terrorism efforts under the directives of King Salman. The crown prince also said that fighting terrorism needs international effrots at all levels: financially,intellectually,militarily and through the media. Furthermore the prince declared that the Saudi-US ties are strong and the two sides will not allow anything or anyone to come between them.

Counter Terrorism Units of the Spanish National Police stop illicit trafficking of firearms

16 Gennaio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

January 2017, the Counter Terrorism Units of the Spanish National Police in Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia and Gerona, with the collaboration of Europol, have carried out an operation within the framework of an investigation against the illicit trafficking of firearms.

During the course of this action, 5 individuals have been arrested, 6 house searches have been conducted in three Spanish provinces of Bilbao, Cantabria and Gerona and more than 10 000 firearms have been seized, alongside EUR 80 000 in cash.

This organised crime group used a sport shop as a distribution centre which in reality sold firearms, parts and components and ammunition. They acquired a significant amount of the firearms in auctions and from other legal entities.

The crime group sold deactivated firearms which did not comply with the existing deactivation standards and life firing firearms in Spain and other European countries. A sizeable amount of these firearms were assault rifles and hand guns, but there were also other weapons such as anti-aerial machine guns. The suspects also sold essential parts and components with the aim of reactivating deactivated firearms. During the course of this action, an illegal workshop was also dismantled which was used to repair and reactive firearms. The suspects were found in possession of stamps and other items used to forge certificates of reactivation.

Information gathered during the operation will now be analysed by Europol in order to identify potential links with other criminal or terrorist activity across Europe and beyond.

Italy offers to train Suadi police personnel on security and counter- terrorism

22 Novembre 2016 BreakingNews @en/Defence di

Saudi Arabia and Italy have pledged to work closely in the field of security and counter-terrorism following wide-ranging talks between Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman as well as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, Minister of Interior, on Monday. The talks focused on new initiatives in the fields of security, police training and counter-terrorism, besides a range of bilateral and regional issues. Alfano, who has had two-hour marathon talks with Crown Prince Mohammed on Sunday night, conveyed his country’s preparedness to train Saudi police personnel on security and counter-terrorism. “The training in Italy will help the Saudi personnel to acquire more policing skills and improve professionalism in the force” he added that “a technical delegation from Italy will shortly visit the Kingdom, or differntly, to prepare the details of the training programs.” The agreement in the field of police collaboration comes within the framework of a long-dormant security pact that was signed between the Kingdom and Italy in 2007.