Middle Eastern Powers Have to 'Uphold Arms Embargo Against ISIL'

Major powers in the Middle East have to make every effort to prevent ISIL from obtaining weapons, the first deputy head of the CIS Antiterrorism Center, Kanat Kozhakhmetov, said.

The arms embargo, as the expert called it, is only one of many measures required to tackle the radical group which is presenting a major challenge to Western counterterrorism tactics and regional security systems.

Stakeholders "need to introduce tougher sanctions, carry out joint border patrol missions, increase humanitarian aid for the displaced and refugees, as well as strengthen UN peacekeeping forces in the countries which border Iraq and Syria," he added.

Kozhakhmetov maintains that offensive containment coupled with a limited military campaign, as well as major diplomatic and economic efforts is the most efficient anti-ISIL strategy.

The expansion of the self-styled caliphate has become the key security challenge, he added at the 7th conference of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) of Central and Eastern European and Central Asian countries in Sochi.

The radical group, according to the expert, is trying to extend its reach into Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, as well as Caucasus and Crimea.

Islamic State

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