Rabat- Around 40 countries and international organizations took part in the Hague on Monday to discuss the international threat posed by would-be jihadists.
More than 100 experts from the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), which Morocco will co-chair this autumn, were in attendance to participate in the conference on foreign terrorist fighters.
“Foreign terrorist fighters pose an international threat. This is one of the reasons the problem demands an international approach, said the Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders.
“It’s good to meet on a regular basis to discuss this complex problem and to do so as a united international community. That’s why I encourage GCTF and the anti-ISIS coalition to share their knowledge with each other,” he added.
Created in 2011, the GCTF brings together a large number of countries, including a number from the Arab world, to address the growing problem of foreign terrorist fighters around the world.
Experts discussed preventing radicalization and combating foreign fighters. They will talk about early identification, popular travel routes, the number of fighters and the role played by social media.
Participants also shared their experiences with strengthening the resilience of communities through training courses and discussion platforms to keep young people from joining extremist groups.
An estimated 25,000 foreign fighters from over 100 countries have joined the ranks of armed groups in the Middle East, according to a UN report.
Large numbers of foreign fighters are travelling from Tunisia, Morocco, France and Russia. The UN has found that there are also jihadists coming from the Maldives, Finland, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as from some sub-Saharan Africa countries.
Morocco and the Netherlands were elected co-chairs of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum last month taking over from the US and Turkey.
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