7:27 am | Posted by Webmaster

U.S. and Djibouti host Gulf of Aden Counterterrorism Forum

DJIBOUTI, Feb. 4 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of State announced on Monday the start of the second Gulf of Aden Counterterrorism Forum in Djibouti.

The Forum is a follow-on to an April 2013 meeting that brought together Djibouti, Somali, and Yemeni government and security officials to discuss regional counter-terrorism challenges.

According to the State Department’s announcement:

One of the main goals of the Forum is to build U.S. partner nation capacity to counter al-Shabaab and AQAP by linking law enforcement, justice, and security officials in Yemen with their counterparts in Somalia and Djibouti. The Forum aims to help identify the steps needed to enhance counterterrorism efforts and cooperation in the region and create a lasting dialogue between Somali, Yemeni, and Djiboutian officials.

Sixty Djibouti, Somali, and Yemeni government officials were expected to attend the three-day event. U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti Geeta Pasi is leading the U.S. delegation.

A third forum is scheduled to convene later in 2014.