Tunisia, Britain to Develop Joint Counter-Terror Plan

Policemen patrol during a military operation against militants in a village some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 10, 2016. (Reuters)
Policemen patrol during a military operation against militants in a village some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 10, 2016. (Reuters)
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Tunisia, Britain to Develop Joint Counter-Terror Plan

Policemen patrol during a military operation against militants in a village some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 10, 2016. (Reuters)
Policemen patrol during a military operation against militants in a village some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 10, 2016. (Reuters)

Tunisia and Britain announced efforts to develop a joint strategy to combat terrorism and its impact.

The announcement was made during an international conference organized by the British embassy and Axiom International and hosted by Tunis. Head of Tunisia’s anti-terrorism commission (CNLCT) Mounir Ksiksi and British Ambassador Edward Oakden, as well as international experts and Tunisian government officials, attended the event.

Both parties agreed that “cyber terrorism” is the current most dangerous threat given that it preys on children and women.

They revealed a bilateral effort to establish a center for training people from scientific backgrounds to study terrorist phenomena and means to prevent them.

Ksiksi affirmed his country’s partnership with the United Kingdom’s embassy to review the domestic counter-terror strategy, which mainly relies on identifying terrorist threats against Tunisia, especially from ISIS and al-Qaeda.

He said the strategy will be implemented on ground and carried out by the military and security forces. A second part of the plan aims to prevent terrorism through protecting Tunisian society.

Tunisia and Britain have suffered from terrorist attacks in the past, Oakden ssaid, citing the Ben Guerdane battle in Tunis and the London and Manchester attacks in the UK.

Britain has boosted its counter-terrorism support for the North African country, especially after the 2015 attacks.



Iraq Reports 19 Congo Fever Deaths Already This Year

A general view of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
A general view of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
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Iraq Reports 19 Congo Fever Deaths Already This Year

A general view of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
A general view of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)

Iraq said Thursday it has recorded 19 deaths from Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever already this year and urged farmers and abattoir workers to step up precautions when handling livestock.

A total of 123 cases have been recorded nationwide, health ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said in a statement, adding that 36 of them were reported in the poor southern province of Dhi Qar, which is heavily dependent on livestock farming.

Congo fever is a viral disease which is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during or immediately after slaughter, according to the World Health Organization, AFP reported.

It has a fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent, and most cases have been reported in the livestock industry.

A previous surge in infections in Iraq in 2022 saw at least 27 deaths, compared with just six cases for the two decades from 1989 to 2009.

The WHO attributed that flare-up to a rise in the tick population resulting from the failure to carry out pesticide spraying campaigns in 2020 and 2021.