Press release: British Ambassador John Casson to Al-Masry Al-Youm: “Together, we can defeat Da’esh”
British Ambassador John Casson writes today in Al-Masry Al-Youm about how the UK is standing with the people of the Middle East to confront Da’esh.
British Ambassador John Casson writes today in Al-Masry Al-Youm about how the UK is standing together with the people of the Middle East to confront Da’esh, their allies, and the poisonous ideology of violent extremism.
Reflecting on 2014, Casson writes that the barbaric acts of murder, torture, rape, and slavery committed by Da’esh against peoples of all faiths and all ethnicities have shocked the world. He points also to the atrocities committed by other groups such as Ansar Beit al-Maqdes in Egypt and Ansar al-Sharia in Libya – groups that may not have received the same publicity but are similarly part of a “twisted death cult that misleads vulnerable people in to a life of barbarity”.
Casson highlights how the UK has been at the heart of an international coalition of over 60 countries including Egypt who have taken a stand to say that the world will not tolerate these horrific acts.
In Iraq, the UK has responded to requests made by the Iraqi government to launch airstrikes against Da’esh and to provide training and equipment to the Iraqi armed forces, including the Peshmerga. Elsewhere, the UK has led efforts in the UN Security Council to brand Ansar al-Sharia a terrorist organisation and has worked closely with Egypt to combat the threat of terrorism.
Casson also highlights the work of the UK government to combat domestic extremism, including legislation that allows the UK to prosecute acts of terror committed by British citizens anywhere in the world.
Finally, Casson calls upon the international community to do more to support the millions of displaced people across the region who have been forced to flee their homes. The UK, he highlights, has committed over £700m in humanitarian to support people in need of food, fresh water, shelter, and other basic services, making it the largest humanitarian response in British history and “evidence of our continued commitment to the people of the region”.
The full text of the article can be found in today’s edition of Al-Masry Al-Youm.