Worry about ‘extremists’

SA AND RUSSIA TALK TERRORISM IN SYRIA IS, al-Qaeda threaten southern Africa, warns security expert.

Terrorism in Syria is high on the agenda at this year’s Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS), where Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is to meet Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu.

According to her department, Mapisa-Nqakula and Shoygu were to “discuss a variety of bilateral defence issues”, while the threeday conference would not only focus on Syria, but also “security issues facing Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America”.

According to the Russian ministry of defence, 30 defence ministers from around the globe have confirmed their participation, as well as members of eight international organisations and 68 foreign security experts.

The defence issues SA has in common with Russia must still be answered, but President Donald Trump’s announcement that it was time for the US to pull out of Syria would have sent shock waves through the MCIS.

So why is SA attending a conference on terrorism in Syria?

“The last thing Syria can afford is another actor in the conflict. It is highly complex,” said Jasmine Opperman, director of Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium.

The Syrian Ba’athist government is supported by Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and Iraq. Supporting the Syrian opposition are the US, United Kingdom, France, Turkey