US Secretary of State confirms efforts to form an international coalition to combat "the far left"
Washington, July 16 (KUNA) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that work is underway to establish an international coalition to combat “left-wing extremist terrorism,” which Washington considers a “transnational threat” linked to networks operating in coordination with “hostile foreign states” such as Iran and Cuba. The U.S. State Department said in a statement that this came during a speech Rubio delivered to representatives of governments from approximately 60 countries participating in a ministerial conference hosted by Washington, titled “The Resurgence of Political Terrorism,” which focuses on threats and joint measures to strengthen defenses and close gaps still exploited by “left-wing terrorist groups.”
Rubio stated, “We are facing a transnational international threat from interconnected networks,” emphasizing that they are “not merely separate, isolated cells that do not recognize borders or even the concept of the nation-state itself.” Rather, these networks coordinate with one another, communicate, travel, and work together toward the same objective.
He pointed out that activists from the Antifa movement, which is active in many countries and was designated as “terrorist” by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, “are working hand in hand with hostile foreign states that share their goals, such as Iranian proxy networks that are increasingly closely linked to far-left groups around the world.” He added that “the Cuban regime’s intelligence network helped build the far-left current in our country and in our hemisphere, and this network remains closely connected to far-left groups and movements both within and outside the West.”
He stressed that, for this reason, “we have no choice but to confront this threat together; either we cooperate across borders, or terrorists will continue to exploit the gaps between them.” He noted that the United States is, “for the first time,” “building the necessary infrastructure and strategic partnerships to defeat the scourge of far-left terrorism.” (End) R.S.R./A.M.S.
