Oman’s role in combating terrorism lauded

Washington, US - The US State Department has praised the role played by Oman in combating terrorism in the Middle East.

The annual report of the US State Department on the efforts of countries in the fight against terrorism appreciated Oman’s role for the second year in a row.

The US State Department appreciated Oman’s role in this regard at regional and international levels, which reflected the stability witnessed by the country under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. “The Sultanate of Oman is an important regional counter-terrorism partner, working actively in 2017 to prevent terrorists from launching attacks or using the Sultanate as a safe haven for them,” the report said. It added that Omani officials regularly cooperate with their US counterparts on measures to combat extremism and terrorism.

In its report, the US State De- partment noted that Oman’s government sought training and equipment from the US and other countries to support its efforts to control land, air and sea borders and issued a series of official statements condemning terrorist attacks in 2017.

Oman’s laws and legislations criminalise various forms of terrorist acts.

The US Department of State confirmed in its report that the Sultanate of Oman is an active member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism. It is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to set standards and support effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorism financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.