No region now free from terrorist attacks — acting UN deputy chief

No region now free from terrorist attacks — acting UN deputy chief Alexander Zuev identified West Africa and the Sahel, as well as the Middle East, as the priority regions for the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism's work at present© Alexander Shcherbak/TASSMOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Terrorist threats are evolving and changing, but they persist around the world, Acting UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Alexander Zuev said in an interview with TASS. "Unfortunately, terrorist threats are transforming and changing, but they exist all over the world, and today there is not a single region that is not exposed to terrorist attacks," he said. Zuev identified West Africa and the Sahel, as well as the Middle East, as the priority regions for the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism's work at present. "But we are also working in South and Southeast Asia, where the threats remain," he added. According to Zuev, the focus on West Africa and the Sahel is based on "very serious grounds." He said that more than 50% of deaths resulting from terrorist attacks worldwide last year occurred in that region. Regarding the Middle East, Zuev said it has traditionally been a key focus area, particularly during the period when ISIS, now known as the Islamic State (a terrorist organization, banned in Russia) gained strength and controlled significant territories in Iraq and northern Syria. "The situation there is now stabilizing to a greater or lesser extent, although terrorist attacks continue in both countries," he said. "We are working with the Iraqi government. Not long ago, we opened an office in Baghdad. Recently, I met with the head of Syrian intelligence, who came to New York for our High-Level Week on Counter-Terrorism. We also discussed these issues with him. They are very concerned because their situation is politically unstable, and terrorist threats also remain," Zuev concluded. 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