Bulgaria to set up inter-agency group on steps against ‘Islamic State’, foreign fighters
Bulgaria’s cabinet has decided to set up an inter-agency working group at the Foreign Ministry to recommend national steps including “practical measures” against the “Islamic State” terrorist group and the phenomenon of foreign fighters – those who go to Middle Eastern hotspots to side with terrorist groups.
The working group is to analyse the measures and activities envisaged in a 2104 UN Security Council resolution and a strategy adopted by EU foreign ministers in October for combating terrorism in Syria and Iraq.
After this analysis, the working group will have to come up with specific proposals for steps at national level, including changes to legislation as well as administrative and organisational measures, a government media office statement said.
The cabinet decision on December 10 also envisages practical measures related to addressing the threat posed by the activities of the “Islamic State” terrorist group and the phenomenon of “foreign fighters”, the statement said.
The lengthy UN resolution included a decision that UN member countries should “consistent with international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law, prevent and suppress the recruiting, organising, transporting or equipping of individuals who travel to a state other than their states of residence or nationality for the
purpose of the perpetration, planning, or preparation of, or participation in, terrorist
acts or the providing or receiving of terrorist training, and the financing of their
travel and of their activities”.
The resolution called on UN member states to improve international, regional, and
subregional cooperation, if appropriate through bilateral agreements, to prevent the
travel of foreign terrorist fighters from or through their territories.
It called on UN countries to “act co-operatively” when taking national measures to prevent terrorists from exploiting technology, communications and resources to incite support for terrorist acts, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and in compliance with other obligations under international law.
(Photo: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a leader of the ISIL terrorist group)
