WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2019) US Counterterrorism Coordinator Nathan Sales will travel to Belgium, The Hague, and the Philippines next week to discuss countering terrorist threats and the repatriation of foreign fighters, the State Department said in a press release.
"Ambassador Sales will travel to Belgium, The Hague, and the Philippines November 18 to 21 to discuss a range of initiatives focused on countering terrorist threats in Europe and Southeast Asia," the release said on Friday. "In The Hague, he will discuss racially and ethnically motivated terrorism and the repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters."
During his stop in Brussels, Sales will meet with members of the European Parliament to discuss strategies for countering Iran and Hezbollah's activities in Europe and globally, the release said. In the Philippines, Sales will meet with local counterparts to discuss intelligence sharing and efforts to curb the financing of terrorism in the region, according to the release.
Many countries from which foreign fighters have originated have been reluctant to repatriate their citizens. According to a 2018 study by the International Center for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR), more than 40,000 foreigners were involved with the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) including 5,904 from Western Europe, 1,063 from Southeast Asia and 753 from the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country, has struggled for decades with Islamic Insurgency in the Mindanao region, located in the southwest region of the country. The armed conflict with the Muslim Moro rebel groups, which endures to this day, began in the 1970s as a result of the Moro's push for independence.
