GCC Ministers voice united stand against terrorism

Manama

Interior Ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Friday vowed to take a united stand against a string of deadly bombings targeting Shia mosques claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group in an emergency meeting held in Kuwait yesterday.

The GCC Ministers reviewed the details of the heinous terrorist attack at Imam Al Sadiq Mosque in Kuwait City last Friday, which left a number of innocent worshippers dead and injured.

The Ministers strongly condemned the attack and offered their condolences to His Highness the Kuwait Amir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah and the bereaved families.

Minister of Interior Lt-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa led the delegation of Bahrain in the meet. The GCC Secretary-General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani also attended the meeting.

Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Shaikh Mohammed Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah briefed the Ministers on the actions taken by Kuwait’s special security agencies to arrest the perpetrators of the crime.

The Ministers "underscored the importance of coordination and cooperation in all measures and steps in confronting this serious epidemic... which is a threat to the security and stability of the GCC states," said a statement issued after the night meeting.

The statement called the attacks "criminal acts not linked with Islam and its values, which renounce violence and the killing of innocents."

"Terrorist attacks that targeted places of worship aim at sowing dissent, promoting divisions, undermining security and terrorising and killing innocent people," the statement added. 

They also denounced the attempts to smuggle weapons and explosives into GCC countries as well as the repeated shooting of policemen in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

They reiterated their firm resolve to combat terrorism, dry up the sources of its funding and counter the perverted ideologies feeding it. They also urged the Muslim youth to be cautious of subversive ideas and those disseminating them.

They stressed the key role played by religious scholars and the media in projecting the real image of Islam, which shuns extremism and violence.

The Interior Ministers also stressed the need for concerted international efforts and cooperation to eradicate the scourge of terrorism and dry up the sources of its financing.