Two anti-terrorism conferences were held in the US and Saudi Arabia recently to seek common ground in the fight against terrorism’s global threat. Several countries have announced anti-terrorism plans.

International and national efforts

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Saud said at the international conference called “Islam and the Fight Against Terrorism” in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that it’s important to protect the image of the global Islamic community from terrorism. During the 4-day conference, 700 delegates, including government officials and scholars, discussed the roots of terrorism and work out a comprehensive plan to combat it. They examined the religious, social, economic, cultural, and communications factors that have created the global terror threat.

Prior to the conference in Saudi Arabia, the US held a summit on anti-extremism and anti-terrorism attended by representatives of 60 countries. They agreed on a roadmap for future anti-terrorism dialogues.  

Several countries have announced plans to combat terrorism and the Islamic State. New US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter vowed the “lasting defeat” of the Islamic State as he summoned generals and diplomats to Kuwait on Monday to review the war effort against the jihadists. The meeting looked not just at the fight in Iraq and Syria, where a US-led coalition has carried out daily air strikes, but at the wider regional struggle against IS. 

On Monday France deployed its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. It will halve the time for aircraft to reach Iraq compared to aircraft taking off from the United Arab Emirates. An anonymous US army official said about 20,000 Iraqi and Kurd soldiers are mobilizing for an operation to retake Mosul city in April and May.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said social networks have to work harder to counter extremist efforts plans to recruit fighters on the internet.

Belgium announced 12 new anti-terrorism measures, including more police on the streets and tighter security at high-risk buildings. Belgian Minister of Home Affairs Jan Jambon announced a new database of potential jihadists.

Concurrent threats, incohesive cooperation

Belgium’s State Security Service is on its highest security alert level. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said jihadists posed a direct threat to the EU. Analysts say the world community is running out of time to stop an IS expansion into Libya.

Cooperation among nations has been shaky. Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled Al-Obeidi has criticized the US for making public the timing of the operation to retake Mosul from IS. He said the military leadership should not reveal information of such a large operation in a city with such a large population.