MESOP SPECIAL : Iran Still Leading State Sponsor of Terrorism, U.S. State Department Reports

 The State Department released its annual report on terrorism yesterday. As in previous years, Iran was identified as the leading state sponsor of terrorism on account of its support for designated terrorist groups and proxy militias in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq; the report also notes that Iran has been implicated in investigations of armed Shia political dissidents in Bahrain. Syria and Sudan were also listed as state sponsors of terrorism. The report states that the Islamic State is a larger threat than al-Qaeda, but that its recruitment and territory in Iraq and Syria have been significantly diminished since 2014. Despite these setbacks, the report notes that the group has expanded its number of affiliates and gained territory in Libya last year.

The report shows a decline in the overall number of terrorist attacks from 2014, the first decline since 2012. In total, there were 11,774 terrorist attacks that killed 28,300 people last year, according to data compiled by the University of Maryland. Though attacks declined globally, the number of attacks increased in some countries, including Egypt, Syria, and Turkey.  Watch links via : www.mesop.de