After Daesh Downfall in Syria, Terrorist Sleeper Cells Still Constitute Most Serious Threat to All Countries: Lavrov

MOSCOW- Terrorist groups defeated in Syria are creating recruitment networks and sleeper cells in other countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

“Having suffered a military defeat in Syria, terrorist groups are creating new footholds, recruitment networks and sleeper cells in other countries, continuing to take advantage of the persisting disunity of the global community and the fact that far from all states took the necessary legislative and law enforcement measures at the national level,” he said at a meeting of the heads of intelligence services, security and law enforcement agencies, according to Itar Tass.

“The capabilities of criminal groups in Syria and Iraq to regularly replenish their budget have been seriously undermined,” he said.

 Lavrov highlighted that the terrorists’ resistance “has not been broken completely.” “One of the reasons is the ongoing external material support for radicals, including with arms,” the minister said, Tass reported.

“Russia repeatedly pointed to this problem. We will continue to consistently work to consolidate cooperation in this important area,” Lavrov concluded.

Double standards and geopolitical ambitions hamper the establishment of true coordination of the global community in the fight against terrorism, he said.

“Despite a considerable success in the fight against ISIS (a former name of the terrorist organization Islamic State, known also as Daesh) and other groups, terrorists still constitute the most serious threat to all countries,” he said. “They adapt to the changing reality and diversify sources of financial and material-technical support for their activity, including through links with drug business and organized crime.”

“Geopolitical ambitions, hidden agendas, double standards and a frequent strive to use radicals to solve their own selfish tasks on the world scene still hamper the establishment of truly coordinated actions,” the Russian foreign minister added.

H.M