(Trinidad Guardian) Why exactly are they going to Isis?
That’s the question Government is giving priority attention to, along with ongoing moves to tighten overall security, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon has said.
In seeking to examine the factors luring people to leave T&T to join the terror group, Dillon said Government will engage the Muslim community to “dialogue on this and, together, examine root causes.”
Dillon was contacted after the T&T Guardian was able to ascertain last Thursday from the security sector that the number of T&T nationals—fighters as well as family members—who have gone to Isis zones from late 2012 to date is now estimated at close to 120, an increase over previous figures.
Most recently, nine TT nationals were detained in Turkey, on July 27. They were held with a Syrian man who was taking them via truck to Syria for recruitment by Isis, Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported. They are now at Turkey’s Adana Migration Centre. Government is awaiting a report on the circumstances of their presence there from Turkish authorities.
Dillon said there had been a lull in the number of people Isis-bound in the latter half of last year, but confirmed the security sector has been “seeing activity.”
“In light of what has happened (nine in Turkey) although we’re still uncertain if they were really going to Isis, we’re examining what factors are luring people to leave T&T to go there; what’s happening locally with that. So we’ll be engaging the Muslim community to dialogue on this and together examine root causes,” Dillon said.
He acknowledged there may be concerns on the length of time to get information on the nine in Turkey, due to perceived “fear of the unknown” on the matter. He explained the time involved—and level of confidentiality—was to ensure that information reaching T&T security, and which would be factored into any approaches, was accurate.
The length of time may be due to questioning being done in Turkey.
Turkey, in recent years, has been the gateway to Isis conflict zones, since no visa is required for T&T nationals particularly.
In January, Turkey’s “Hurriyet News” reported four T&T nationals were held among 913 foreign jihadists from 57 countries fighting with Isis, over the period January to November 2015. T&T was the only Caribbean country. Last Thursday, security agencies confirmed two T&T nationals returned—sent back—from Turkey in January.
They are from Cocorite and Morvant, and were monitored.
So far, only one T&T person—Kareen Ibrahim—has been deemed a terrorist under the Anti-Terrorism Act. No T&T nationals have so far been listed on the United Nations’ Security Council’s list of people subject to sanctions for being involved with Al-Qaeda and Isis.
But this might change, Dillon confirmed, when T&T pursues action by the Attorney General for court declaration of 74 entities as terrorists, among other measures.
