Credit: Interpol .int  / Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani and INTERPOL Secretary General Stock discussions in Kabul  Aug. 29, 2019  focused on identifying areas where INTERPOL can bring its global network and expertise to where they are needed most.

DIPLOMATIC TIMES  STAFF

Following the recent terror attack which killed more than 60 people in a wedding hall in Kabul, INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock  met with  Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani Thursday.  Islamic State claimed responsibility for the suicide attack. Talks between the two leaders, and other senior government and policing officials, were aimed at identifying key areas where additional INTERPOL support could assist national authorities in combating terrorism and its financing, as well as organized crime such as drug trafficking. These include expanding access to the International Criminal Police Organization’s  global network and policing databases which contain nearly 100 million records, comprising details of more than 50,000 foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs).

“Afghanistan continues to face a range of security threats, including from more than 20 active terrorist networks. My discussions with President Ghani and other senior officials have focused on identifying areas where INTERPOL can bring its global network and expertise to where they are needed most.”

-INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock. 

INTERPOL’s Project FIRST (Facial, Imaging, Recognition, Searching and Tracking), which helps countries to enhance security through biometric data sharing on FTFs and other terrorist suspects was also highlighted as a potential area for cooperation.

Afghanistan has been a member of INTERPOL since 2002, with its National Central Bureau in Kabul under the authority of the Ministry of Interior. It supports police at key air and land borders by giving them access to information contained in INTERPOL’s criminal databases.

INTERPOL Chief Meets With Sri Lankan Government and Police Leaders

Credit: Interpol.int /  The President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, discussed a range of international security and crime issues with INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock Aug. 27, 2019 in COLOMBO, Sri Lanka.

Enhanced use of INTERPOL’s global databases in the fight against terrorism was high on the agenda during Secretary General Stock’s meetings with Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena,  Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Acting Inspector General of Police Chandana D. Wickramaratne in Colombo, Sri Lanka Aug. 27, 2019.

Credit: Interpol.int / Secretary General Jürgen Stock’s meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted the strong cooperation between INTERPOL and Sri Lanka following the 21 April bomb attacks.

Expansion of access to INTERPOL’s network to key border control points has already seen millions of checks conducted against the Organization’s databases of wanted persons, stolen and lost travel documents and stolen vehicles.

Plans to connect additional specialized law enforcement units across the country are also currently underway, as well as a proposal for a project to further strengthen Sri Lankan efforts to combat terrorism.  This would focus on suspect identification, reduction of mobility, tackling online terrorist presence, identification of illicit weapons and materials, and disruption of terrorist financing.

Immediately following the 21 April bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, INTERPOL deployed an Incident Response Team (IRT) at the request of Sri Lankan authorities to provide on the ground support to the investigation.  The IRT was the first international team to arrive in Colombo after the attacks, and included expertise in areas including counter-terrorism, explosives, analysis and Disaster Victim Identification.