Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee marks 10 years since foundation

The Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee is marking 10 years since its foundation. It was established by the presidential decree of February 15, 2006 'On measures to combat terrorism'.

The committee has been created in order to form a unified system for combating terrorism. It is a coordinating interdepartmental structure.

The Federal Operational Headquarters, headed by the head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), was formed as a part of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. There are anti-terrorism committees in the regions and regional operational headquarters under the leadership of the heads of territorial security agencies.

All the committee's solutions are mandatory for all power structures, which enables their efforts in countering terrorism to to be consolidated.

The decline in terrorist activity and the return to civilian life of individuals who had been under the influence of terrorist ideology are also important elements in combating terrorism. From July 2006 to January 2007, 546 militants laid down their arms after the creation of the committee and more than 750 members of illegal armed groups laid down their arms before the end of an amnesty, TASS reminds.

The head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, said at a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee in December 2015 that "the situation in the counter-terrorism sphere in Russia retains a tendency to normalization, but it is still difficult due to the continuing activities of bandit groups in the North Caucasus, the spread of terrorist ideology in social networks and the intensification of international activities of terrorist organizations, especially in the conditions of effective actions of the Russian forces against Daesh in Syria.

According to him, "the law-enforcement services have prevented 30 crimes of a terrorist nature, more than 770 criminals and their accomplices have been detained. Large amounts of illegal arms and assault weapons have been seized, and 156 militants, including 36 leaders, have been killed.

The president of the International Association of Veterans of the Alpha Anti-Terrorism Unit, Sergey Goncharov, said in an interview with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza that previously Russia took disparate and poorly coordinated measures to combat terrorism. "So, 10 years ago the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee was established in order to coordinate all the actions, particularly in the North Caucasus region."

According to the expert, over the years of the committee's existence it has achieved notable successes. "First of all, of course, in Chechnya. Now it is a quiet region. Ramzan Kadyrov not only knows what the war is, he is also a strong-willed commander and the head of the region. It's a well-deserved win," Goncharov believes.

"But I must say frankly, it seems to me that we have not achieved the desired success in Dagestan. And the most unpleasant thing is that many natives of Dagestan still leave for Daesh," he complained.

"I think that at the moment the National Anti-Terrorism Committee is a successful project, which is able to actively fight terrorism in Russia, particularly in the North Caucasus," Sergey Goncharov concluded.

The editor-in-chief of 'National Defense' magazine, Igor Korotchenko, also said that after the creation of the committee "the work on fighting terrorism has become more systematic, and most importantly, the leadership of the Federal Security Service and all the power ministries, departments and agencies was coordinated." "So, of course, it is an important event, especially given the fact that the threat of international terrorism remains relevant in relation to the national security of our country," he said.

"In the current conditions, its activity is becoming increasingly important, especially in the view of terrorists' intention to transfer their activities to the territory of Russia," the expert added.

"And it is also important to note the information component of the committee, which includes data on specific operations, important facts and events," Igor Korotchenko concluded.