Anti-Daesh conference kicks off in Bahraini capital

MANAMA, Bahrain

The 11th Counter Daesh Finance Group Meeting kicked off Tuesday in the Bahraini capital Manama.

At the two-day meeting’s opening session, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa affirmed his country’s intention to remain an “active partner” in a U.S.-led military coalition against the terrorist group.

Al Khalifa hailed the U.S.-led coalition’s ongoing anti-Daesh efforts, which, he said, had “significantly degraded” the group’s capabilities in Syria and Iraq.

“The organization’s ability to finance and carry out attacks has been greatly diminished,” he was quoted as saying by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

On the sidelines of Tuesday’s conference, Al Khalifa spoke briefly with William Rupak, special adviser to the U.S.-led coalition, BNA reported.

In 2014, the Counter Daesh Finance Group held its first meeting in Manama, where it produced the “Manama Declaration”.

Stressing the international community’s concerns about terror financing, the declaration called for “concerted international efforts to protect the international financing system”.

Washington has led the 68-nation alliance since 2014.