OSCE holds roundtable meeting in Tajikistan on terrorist use of explosives

Improving the control of explosive substances to hinder access to them by terrorists was the topic of a roundtable discussion organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan on 1 October 2013.

Some 25 experts from Tajikistan, government departments and the private sector, along with experts from Spain, United Kingdom and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), shared their experiences and legal and practical tools to improve the control of explosives. These explosives include chemical substances such as fertilizers, which are easily acquired and can be used by terrorists to prepare homemade explosives.

“The sheer number of terrorist attacks occurring highlights the urgency of hindering terrorist access to explosive substances,” said Hans Peter Larsen, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, in his opening remarks. “Today’s event highlights our strong commitment to support Tajikistan in strengthening control over such substances and to reduce the terrorist threat in the region.”

Major General Tohirjon Normatov, Head of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) added: “Tajikistan has first-hand experience in countering the use of explosives for terrorism purposes. Since 1997, the MIA has managed to identify and neutralize approximately 200 organized crime and terrorist groups that had committed about 3000 serious crimes. This figure includes 170 terrorist acts, of which 40 were committed using explosives. At the same time, the MIA acknowledges the potential threat emerging from Afghanistan in connection with ISAF withdrawal in the near future.”

The event is a follow-up to a conference last year in Vienna on the same topic, which was organized by the OSCE and UNODC.