MOSCOW, 29 April (BelTA) – Over 300 people identified as accessories to terrorism were arrested in the Collective Security Treaty Organization member states in 2020. Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas made the statement after a session of the CSTO Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 29 April, BelTA learned from CSTO Press Secretary Vladimir Zainetdinov.
According to the source, the special operation Nayomnik [Mercenary] became a regular event within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2019 as part of the efforts to combat terrorism. The purpose of the operation is to suppress recruiting, close the channels citizens of the CSTO member states use to leave or enter the countries for participation in terrorism activities, and neutralize the resources of international terrorism organizations in the CSTO space.
In 2020 security and law enforcement agencies of the CSTO countries prevented 16 terrorist attacks and captured over 300 accessories to terrorism, the secretary general noted. Over 180 criminal cases were opened to counteract terrorism and extremism. Over 120 facts of financing of terrorism activities were detected in cooperation with financial monitoring agencies. As many as 39 criminal cases were opened against persons, who were involved in financing terrorism activities.
Stanislav Zas also expressed concern about terrorism activities in Afghanistan. An analysis of data received from official sources and other ones indicates that in Q4 2020 – Q1 2021 the intensity and the scale of combat operations of international terrorist organizations against security forces in Afghanistan increased considerably. The operations were staged to capture populated localities in Afghanistan, including regional population centers near the Tajik border, and to strike against facilities of defense and law enforcement agencies of Afghanistan.
The official said that at present over 360km of the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is controlled by the Taliban movement and other international terrorist organizations. Before the sessions of the CSTO bodies Stanislav Zas personally visited the troubled spots at the border and examined the situation.
In order to localize possible negative consequences of events in Afghanistan the Collective Security Treaty Organization is taking measures to reduce tensions near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Work is in progress on an interstate program on reinforcing the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. It is one of the priorities of Tajikistan's presidency over the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2021, he said.
