U.S. President Donald Trump
The White House introduced a new counterterrorism strategy Thursday that it said is "much broader" than that of former U.S. President Barack Obama's plan.
President Donald Trump's new strategy is the first since Obama rolled out his plan in 2011.
National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters at the White House the new measure recognizes "that there's a terrorist ideology that we're confronting, and I think it's long been the president's view that without recognizing that we're in an ideological struggle, that we can't properly address the terrorist threat."
While adopting rhetoric that the Obama administration insisted was unhelpful in the fight against terrorism, the new strategy reflects in many ways aspects of Obama's plan, as well as that of President George W. Bush.
The U.S. general overseeing American forces in the Middle East said on Thursday Russia's deployment of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system in Syria was a needless escalation and a knee-jerk response to last month's downing of a Russian military aircraft.Army General Joseph Votel, who leads the U.S. Central Command, confirmed the deployment and added that it would help shield Iranian activities in Syria, which have triggered air raids by Israel. Russia has started delivering S-300 system to Syria: FMRussia claims S-300 may close parts of Syrian airspaceRussia says it will supply Syria with S-300 air defence system
US general slams Russia's deployment of S-300 in Syria
"Today's terrorist landscape is more fluid and complex than ever," the report said. "While we have succeeded in disrupting large-scale attacks in the homeland since 2001, we have not sufficiently mitigated the overall threat that terrorists pose."
The plan seeks to "dismantle" militant networks, and "sever" them from their sources of strength while maintaining pressure on the organizations to prevent their reemergence.
It also sought to prioritize "non-military capabilities," including the prevention of recruitment, and efforts to push back on online propaganda.
"This includes leveraging the skills and resources of civil society and non-traditional partners to diminish terrorists’ efforts to radicalize and recruit people in the United States," it said.
Afghanistan’s former president criticized the U.S. for its failure in fight against terrorism in his country.“America’s stated objective of defeating terrorism did not happen. It faltered. The consequences of that failure are tragic for the Afghan people,” Hamid Karzai told the TRT World Forum in Istanbul.He made his remarks Wednesday in a session titled “Disrupting the Established Order: Rise of the Global South”.Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner of the forum.Turkey condemns suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan“Massive human loss, 17 years on, every day we have people killed, just yesterday we had 26 people killed in Eastern Afghanistan in an election rally,” Karzai was quoted in a TRT World statement.“In consequence, as well as the massive loss of life daily, we have the rise of terrorist and extremist groups. Now as well as Al Qaeda we have Daesh in Afghanistan which is turning out to be a menace for the region,” he said.Following the Karzai’s speech, Haiyan Wang, Managing Partner of the China-India Institute, spoke in a public session, “Disrupting the Established Order: The Rise of the Global South”“We must bear in mind that China is not yet a superpower and will not be for quite some time to come,” Wang said.Suicide bomber in Afghanistan kills 13 at election rally“If you look at the military power, China’s military spending is one-fifth of that of the U.S. China has only one small overseas base and that is dual-use,” she added.On Wednesday, the fourth and final session of the forum discussed “The Leadership of Women in a World of Conflict”.Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, referred to a World Bank study, which revealed women have equal rights to men only in 22 countries out of 189 surveyed.“If we are to progress as a human race, we cannot exclude half the population: women,” the statement quoted Villa as saying.The two-day TRT World Forum, themed "Envisioning Peace and Security in a Fragmented World", brings together over 600 participants including the world’s leading opinion leaders, policymakers, academics and businesspeople from around the world.
US failed in fight against terrorism: Ex-Afghan leader
The report's emphasis on Iran is a reflection of Bolton, who has long taken a hawkish approach to the Islamic Republic and has continued to do so after assuming his White House post in April.
While addressing reporters he called Tehran "the world's central banker of international terrorism" following its 1979 revolution, and said it supports a range of militant groups in the region that "continue to pose a threat to the United States and our interests."