2014 international conferences on Iraqi security

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Following US President Barack Obama's address on the subject, a series of international conferences took place in order to build a formal coalition to destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which had taken over large portions of Syria and Iraq and had briefly invaded a small part of Lebanon.

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International conferences

Jeddah Communiqué

The first of these conferences took place on 11 September 2014 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia [1] and was referred to as the Jeddah Communiqué. on 11 September 2014. The foreign ministers of 10 Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar met with US Secretary of State John Kerry on what each of these countries would contribute to their common security in the matter. [2] At the end of the conference, all the Ministers, with the exception of Turkey, signed a declaration supporting the American military effort, and their commitment to unite against the threat of terrorism, including that of terrorist group, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). [3] In addition to providing military support and humanitarian aid towards the effort, the countries also agreed to stop the flow of foreign fighters through neighboring countries, countering terror financing and extremist ideology, and enforce the necessary measures of justice against violators. [4] [5] Turkey declined to sign the communique due to "sensitive issues". At the time, the country had 49 diplomats being held hostage by ISIS, and as a result was reluctant to take a prominent role in the coalition. [6] Since then, these individuals were released as 180 ISIS linked individuals and jihadists were released from Turkish prisons, despite U.S. protests of the trade. [7]

Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi’a militia group, protested Beirut's signing of the pledge to offer regional military cooperation against ISIL goes too far and does not confront the terrorist group. [4] The group, which has ministers in the Lebanese cabinet and is fighting on the side of the Assad regime in the Syrian conflict, attacked its cabinet colleagues, and said that they consider Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil’s signing of the communique as non-binding until an official clarification is issued by the Beirut government. [8]

Kerry next went to Ankara, Turkey, and then Cairo, Egypt to shore up his support before going to Paris for the second conference on building an anti-ISIS coalition.

On 14 September, French President Francois Hollande and Iraqi President Fuad Masum hosted a meeting of high officials of more than 30 countries, including those who had been to the one in Jeddah, as well as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Iran, which had "boots on the ground" in Iraq, and Syria, which has lost much territory to ISIS, were not invited and did not attend.

Failures

In a Congressional hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, subcommittee Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade on the topic of terrorist financing, David Andrew Weinberg, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, assessed the successes and failures of the state actors who signed the agreement one year later in 2015. Notably he listed Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia as having failed to some extent on upholding their commitments. [9]

Qatar

Qatar was identified by U.S. officials as one of two states with “permissive jurisdictions’ for terror finance in the GCC. Despite the discovery of Qatari citizens’ private donations to al-Qaeda and its supporters, Qatar has never pursued any terrorism finance cases in its court system. [10] Among these notable financiers Khalifa al-Subaiy and Abdulrahman al-Nu’aymi, both of whom have been sanctioned by the U.S. and U.N. as specially designated global terrorists for their role in terror financing al-Qaeda at rates of over $2 million per month. [11] Yet, these actors were not punished under Qatari law. [12]

In addition, Qatar has become a safe haven for terrorist groups, housing the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Muhammed, openly hosting Khaled Meshaal, leader of the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, and the meeting spot for members of the Taliban. [13] [14] [15] These groups and other sanctioned Qatari individuals continue to finance such terrorist groups. [16]

In May 2016, Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) wrote a letter to Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Jacob Lew, urging him to make Qatar take a more active stance on combatting terrorism finance per the agreed upon terms in the Jeddeh Communique. [17]

Kuwait

Kuwait was the other state that the U.S. Treasury Department described as a “permissive jurisdiction” for terrorist financing. [18] It's also important to note that Kuwait has become the top source of private donations to al-Qaeda terrorists in Syria. One of Nayef al-Ajmi's appointed ministers was revealed to have assisted in funding to al-Qaeda. [10] Additionally, the U.S. and the U.N, sanctioned two other individuals from his tribe for terror financing. [19] Other Kuwaitis have been linked to terror financing, but prosecution of these financier's has been mixed. [20]

Saudi Arabia

In a 2009 memo, signed by Hillary Clinton, it was noted that Saudi Arabian funds are the most significant worldwide for Sunni terrorist groups.[ citation needed ] Saudi Arabia has hosted numerous Yemini U.S. globally designated terrorist financiers in its state, some of whom still publicly appear in the state today. [21] [22] Additionally, in 2015, Osama bin Laden's Mentor, Abdulmajeed al-Zindani, sanctioned for recruiting and purchasing weapons for al-Qaeda over 10 years ago, was photographed and publicly appeared in Saudi Arabia in hosting his son's lavish wedding. [23] [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Qaeda</span> Pan-Islamic Sunni Jihadist terrorist organization (established 1988)

Al-Qaeda is a pan-Islamist militant organization led by Sunni Jihadists who self-identify as a vanguard spearheading a global Islamist revolution to unite the Muslim world under a supra-national Islamic state known as the Caliphate. Its membership is mostly composed of Arabs, but also includes people from other ethnic groups. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian, economic and military targets of the US and its allies; such as the 1998 US embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing and the September 11 attacks. The organization is designated as a terrorist group by NATO, UN Security Council, the European Union, and various countries around the world.

State-sponsored terrorism is terrorist violence carried out with the active support of national governments provided to violent non-state actors. States can sponsor terrorist groups in several ways, including but not limited to funding terrorist organizations, providing training, supplying weapons, providing other logistical and intelligence assistance, and hosting groups within their borders. Because of the pejorative nature of the word, the identification of particular examples are often subject to political dispute and different definitions of terrorism.

The Benevolence International Foundation, was a purported nonprofit charitable trust based in Saudi Arabia. It was determined to be a front for terrorist group Al-Qaeda and was banned by the United Nations Security Council Committee 1267 and the US Department of the Treasury in November 2002. The BIF's chief executive officer Enaam Arnaout began a ten-year sentence in 2003 after pleading guilty for racketeering in a U.S. federal court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in Saudi Arabia</span>

Terrorism in Saudi Arabia has mainly been attributed to Islamic extremists. Their targets included foreign civilians—Westerners affiliated with its oil-based economy—as well as Saudi Arabian civilians and security forces. Anti-Western attacks have occurred in Saudi Arabia dating back to 1995. Saudi Arabia itself has been accused of funding terrorism in other countries, including Syria.

Hamid bin Abdallah al-Ali has been described as "an influential Salafi cleric" based in Kuwait, whom the U.S. Treasury Department has described as "an Al Qaeda facilitator and fundraiser."

Hajjaj bin Fahd al-Ajmi is a Kuwait-born sheikh who has been accused to be active in fundraising for Islamist rebels in the Syrian Civil War. The U.S. government and United Nations accuse Ajmi of backing the Jabhat al-Nusra, an affiliate of al Qaeda.

Qatar has been accused of allowing terror financiers to operate within its borders, which has been one of the justifications for the Qatar diplomatic crisis that started in 2017 and ended in 2021. In 2014, David S. Cohen, then United States Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, accused Qatari authorities of allowing financiers who were on international blacklists to live freely in the country: "There are U.S.- and UN-designated terrorist financiers in Qatar that have not been acted against under Qatari law." Accusations come from a wide variety of sources including intelligence reports, government officials, and journalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Eid bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association</span>

Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association is a Qatari charitable organizations established in 1995 in Doha, Qatar. The organization was named after Sheikh Eid Ibn Mohammad ibn Thani ibn Jasim ibn Mohammad Al Thani (1922-1994).

Starting in the mid-1970s and 1980s, Salafism and Wahhabism — along with other Sunni interpretations of Islam favored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies — achieved a "preeminent position of strength in the global expression of Islam."

Since 2012, the Islamic State (IS) has produced annual reports giving numerical information on its operations, somewhat in the style of corporate reports, seemingly in a bid to encourage potential donors.

Collaboration with the Islamic State refers to the cooperation and assistance given by governments, non-state actors, and private individuals to the Islamic State (IS) during the Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Civil War, and Libyan Civil War.

Khalifa Muhammad Turki al-Subaiy, born January 1, 1965, is a Qatari al-Qaeda facilitator and financier, and as such al-Subaiy has been sanctioned by numerous countries and organizations including the United Nations and U.S. government.

Ibrahim Issa Hajji Muhammad al-Bakr is a Qatari Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Al-Bakr also has a history of supporting al-Qaeda and the Taliban through the collection and transfer of funds. Al-Bakr’s fundraising efforts for extremist groups and associations with al-Qaeda operatives and facilitators have led the United Nations and U.S. Department of the Treasury to list al-Bakr as a facilitator of terrorism. Ibrahim al-Bakr’s current location is unknown.

Abdulaziz bin Khalifa al-Attiyah, is the cousin of Qatar's foreign minister, former head of the Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation, and former member of the Qatar Olympic Committee who has been tied to illicit terrorist financing activities, specifically for al-Qaeda, it's al-Nusra Front, and the Mahdid Ahl al-Sham campaign.

Madid Ahl al-Sham was a Qatar-based fundraising campaign widely suspected of acting as a conduit for donations intended for Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. While the online campaign reportedly coordinated the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Syrian citizens in need, the U.S. Department of State identified Madid Ahl al-Sham as a fundraising source for violent extremists.

Abdullah Ghanim Khawar is a Qatari national and Qatar-based terrorist financier, who previously worked as a salesman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomatic conflict</span> Diplomatic issue between Qatar and Saudi Arabia

The Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomatic conflict refers to the ongoing struggle for regional influence between Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), both of which are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It is sometimes called the New Arab Cold War. Bilateral relations have been especially strained since the beginning of the Arab Spring, that left a power vacuum both states sought to fill, with Qatar being supportive of the revolutionary wave and Saudi Arabia opposing it. Both states are allies of the United States, and have avoided direct conflict with one another.

Terrorism in the United Arab Emirates describes the terrorist attacks in the United Arab Emirates, as well as steps taken by the Emirati government to counter the threat of terrorism. Although terrorist attacks are rare, the UAE has been listed as a place used by investors to raise funds to support militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the financing of the September 11 attacks. Businesses based in the UAE have been implicated in the funding of the Taliban and the Haqqani network. In the 72nd session of the UN General assembly in New York, UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed the United Arab Emirates policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism financing.

Kuwait has been frequently accused of supporting terrorism financing within its borders. Kuwait has been described as the world's biggest source of terrorism funding, particularly for ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

References

  1. ↑ "Saudi Arabia Hosts Coalition-Building Regional Conference (Photos)". Saudi-British Relations. 11 September 2014. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Jeddah Communique". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  3. ↑ Ackerman, Spencer (2014-09-11). "Middle East countries sign up to Obama's coalition against Isis". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  4. 1 2 Al-awsat, Asharq (2014-09-13). "Hezbollah reject Lebanon signing of Jeddah Communique: source - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English". ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English. Archived from the original on 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  5. ↑ Varma, Sushil (2014-09-11). "[wanabidii] Press Releases: Jeddah Communique". [wanabidii] Press Releases. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  6. ↑ "Islamic State crisis: Arab states join US fight". BBC News. 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  7. ↑ Letsch, Constanze; MacAskill, Ewen (2014-10-06). "Turkey freed British jihadis in swap deal for Isis hostages – reports". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  8. ↑ "Hezbollah slams Lebanon FM for siding with Arab states in fighting ISIS". yalibnan.com. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  9. ↑ Weinberg, Ph.D., David Andrew. "The Gulf Cooperation Council Camp David Summit: Any Results?" Congressional testimony. Hearing before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. 2015-07-09 (Washington, D.C.). Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  10. 1 2 "Remarks of Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen before the Center for a New American Security on "Confronting New Threats in Terrorist Financing"". www.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  11. ↑ "Treasury Designates Al-Qa'ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen". www.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  12. ↑ "Terror financiers are living freely in Qatar, US discloses". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ↑ "Qatar FM: Hamas leader to remain in Doha as 'dear guest'". Doha News. 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  15. ↑ "Taliban claims captured Haqqani leaders visited ex-Gitmo detainees in Qatar | The Long War Journal". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  16. ↑ "Analysis: Qatar still negligent on terror finance | The Long War Journal". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  17. ↑ "IN THE NEWS: Senator Kirk: Make Qatar Comply or Cut Ties". Stop Terror Finance. Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  18. ↑ "Treasury Designates Twelve Foreign Terrorist Fighter Facilitators". www.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  19. ↑ @Hajaj_Alajmi (October 2, 2015). "حجاج العجمي مغرداً : لم أتضايق لأني فصلت من ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ "حامد العلي مجدّداً... إماماً لمسجد العدساني". جريدة الراي الكويتية. Archived from the original on 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  21. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2016-11-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ↑ Al Jazeera Mubasher قناة الجزيرة مباشر (2015-08-15), نافذة تفاعلية .. المقاومة اليمنية تزحف للقصر االجمهوي في تعز , retrieved 2016-11-10
  23. ↑ "United States Designates bin Laden Loyalist". www.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  24. ↑ هاشتاغ/خبر-زواج-نجل-الشيخ-الزيداني Al Bawaba [ dead link ]
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