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Over 40 terror attacks prevented in SCO member states in 2021 — official

Operation and terror acts of over 60 secret international terror group cells were thwarted

SAMARKAND, September 16. /TASS/. Over 40 terror attacks were prevented in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in 2021, says Ruslan Mirzayev, Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Executive Committee.

"Thanks to coordinated joint work of our relevant agencies in SCO member states in 2021, […] a total of 40 terror attacks were prevented, over 480 terrorism-related crimes were prevented, and 26 international terror group funding channels were exposed and thwarted," he said, speaking at the SCO summit in Samarkand Friday.

According to Mirzayev, operation and terror acts of over 60 secret international terror group cells were thwarted, with 1,500 members and accomplices detained and about 240,000 websites blocked.

SCO member states must adopt additional complex of joint measures in order to prevent youth involvement in extremism, and to create immunity for various destructive ideologies in the society, the official said.

The Samarkand summit takes place on September 15 and 16. Currently, the SCO, established in 2001, includes India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia act as observers, while Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka have dialogue partner status.

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