Cairo Hosts Int’l Conference on Confronting ‘Emerging Terrorist Organizations’

Headquarters of the Egyptian Interior Ministry (Egyptian Government)
Headquarters of the Egyptian Interior Ministry (Egyptian Government)
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Cairo Hosts Int’l Conference on Confronting ‘Emerging Terrorist Organizations’

Headquarters of the Egyptian Interior Ministry (Egyptian Government)
Headquarters of the Egyptian Interior Ministry (Egyptian Government)

Egypt’s Interior Ministry, in collaboration with Interpol, is hosting Monday a workshop on confronting emerging terrorist organizations and phenomena in the Middle East and Africa.

The workshop is hosted by the Egyptian Police Academy until May 25.

The participating countries include Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Djibouti, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republish of Congo, Senegal, Germany, Belgium, and the United States.

Also, experts from six international and regional organizations will take part in the event, including Interpol, the European Union, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, and secretaries of G5 Sahel countries.

The workshop will discuss the latest developments pertaining to terrorist activities in the regional and international arenas in addition to terrorist threats, with a focus on emerging terrorist phenomena and the best means for confronting them, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Interior Ministry.

Also, participants will exchange information and expertise on the latest strategies to face terrorist activities and deter the movement of terrorist groups, the statement said.

The three-day workshop comes in line with Egypt’s pivotal role in countering terrorism on the regional and international arenas and its keenness to fight terrorism to maintain peace and security as a main pillar for stability and economic development.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.