Cooperating To Defeat Terrorism

International cooperation is the heart and soul of the global effort to defeat the threat of terrorism, said U.S. State Department Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, Ambassador Daniel Benjamin:

"A transnational threat such as terrorism demands that partner nations work more closely than ever to prevent attacks and disrupt terrorist operations. And the truth is the cooperation around the globe over the last nine years has been remarkable. This is one of the truly unsung success stories of our time. In the critical areas of intelligence and law enforcement, governments have joined together time and again and prevented real attacks."

The United States is partnering with governments of countries on the front lines of the fight against terrorism to improve security and undermine the ability of terrorist groups to recruit soldiers and raise money, said Ambassador Benjamin. Targeted development assistance that helps governments improve their ability to govern and provide vital services to their citizens effectively prevents terrorist groups from gaining a foothold in local communities.

So for example, in Yemen, which is at the top of the list at the moment, said Ambassador Benjamin, the U.S. is working with "a range of Yemeni security forces to increase their ability to confront al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. . . . Our development assistance, it’s worth noting, has roughly quadrupled since 2008, and we hope it will rise to more than $106 million next year," he said.

The U.S. is helping Pakistan develop its infrastructure, improve its capacity to provide water and energy to its citizens, improve rule of law and good governance. To negate the North African faction of al-Qaida's primary source of revenue, kidnapping for ransom, the U.S. is working with its partners to formulate a workable strategy that satisfies all interests. Elsewhere, said Ambassador Benjamin, "we have made real progress in drying up the resources available to terrorists around the world."

But the key to success is cooperation on a global scale.

Working with individual governments, multi-national organizations and counter-terrorism agencies of numerous countries, the U.S. and its partners are making progress in turning back the threat of global terrorism.