Peshawar – September 4, 2012 – On behalf of the provincial assembly, the Speaker, Mr. Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmati, offered solidarity and condolences to the U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar.  On Monday, a vehicle belonging to the U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar was hit in an apparent terrorist attack injuring four U.S. Consulate personnel.

The speaker called on the U.S. Consul General Robert Reed and assured him of the support and commitment of the Pakistani government, stating, “The whole province is very unhappy with this type of violence.  It goes completely against Pakhtun culture, customs and Islam.”  He was accompanied by MPA Israr Ullah Khan Gandapur.

Immediately following their visit to the Consulate, the KP government officials checked on the constabulary police members also injured during the attack.  In expressing his gratitude for the heroic assistance of the Pakistani police force, U.S. Consul General Reed stated, “We are very thankful to the Pakistani authorities for such support from all levels of the government in this difficult time.”

The U.S. government stands ready to work with Pakistani authorities on a full investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice.

Islamabad – September 3, 2012 – U.S. Embassy Islamabad released the following statement by Charge d’affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland: 

“I am grateful for the humane professionalism of the local Pakistani security forces who saved the lives of the two American diplomats and two Pakistani local staff of the U.S. Consulate General Peshawar by pulling them to safety after their vehicle was attacked. In this dangerous world where terrorists can strike at any moment, we must all work together — Pakistanis and Americans alike — because we have a strong mutual interest in defeating terrorism.”

U.S. Ambassador Daniel Benjamin delivers remarks on the release of the 2011 Counterterrorism Report at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on July 31, 2012. A text transcript can be found here.

Special Briefing
Daniel Benjamin
Coordinator
Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
Washington, DC
July 31, 2012

MR. VENTRELL: Okay. Good afternoon, everyone. We have with us today Ambassador Dan Benjamin, the State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism. He is here today to present our annual report on worldwide terrorism, and without further ado, I’m going to turn it over to him for opening remarks. We’ll then have time for a handful of questions, so Ambassador Benjamin.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: All right. Thanks very much, and thank you all for coming today. Today, the State Department is issuing Country Reports on Terrorism 2011, which fulfills a congressional mandate and also provides us with an opportunity to review counterterrorism events worldwide. Please bear in mind that the report only covers events and developments that occurred during the 2011 calendar year.

Of course, 2011 was an extremely significant year in counterterrorism. Besides the death of Usama bin Ladin and a number of other key al-Qaida operatives, we saw millions of citizens throughout the Middle East advance peaceful public demands for change without any reference to al-Qaida’s incendiary world view. This upended the group’s longstanding claim that change in this region would only come through violence. These men and women have underscored, in the most powerful fashion, the lack of influence al-Qaida exerts over the central political issues in key Muslim-majority nations. MORE

Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 30, 2012

The Department of State will release the annual Congressionally mandated Country Reports on Terrorism 2011 on Tuesday, July 31 at 12:30 p.m. The Bureau of Counterterrorism’s Ambassador at Large, Daniel Benjamin, will provide remarks and respond to reporters’ questions. MORE.

More: Trip Page | Interactive Travel Map

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey from May 31-June 7. In Denmark, Secretary Clinton will hold bilateral meetings with senior Danish officials in Copenhagen. She will also participate in the kick-off event for Green Partnerships for Growth, a bilateral initiative to promote green technology through public and private sector partnerships.

On June 1, Secretary Clinton will travel to Oslo, Norway, to meet with senior Norwegian officials and give keynote remarks at a global health conference hosted by the Norwegian government titled, “A World in Transition… more »

Rhonda Shore serves as Public Affairs Officer in the Bureau of Counterterrorism.

Keeping America safe from terrorism begins abroad. In the race to protect the United States and stay “one step ahead,” we must develop innovative strategies, creative diplomacy, and even stronger partnerships. How do we do it all? Here are ten things you should know about the new Bureau of Counterterrorism.

1. We build foreign counterterrorism capacity. We build international partner counterterrorism capacity in the civilian sector and contribute to efforts in the military and defense sectors. We develop and support implementation of antiterrorism assistance in the law enforcement, rule-of-law and counterterrorism finance sectors, on topics ranging from cyber-security to money laundering prevention to crisis response to prison de-radicalization.

2. We stood up and co-chair a new multilateral counterterrorism body. In 2011, we established the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). With 30 founding members (29 countries and the EU), the GCTF is a major initiative within the Obama Administration’s broader effort to build an international architecture for dealing with 21st century terrorist threats. Two major deliverables announced at the September launch demonstrate the GCTF’s action-oriented nature. The first was approximately $100 million, contributed by several members, to develop rule of law institutions. The United Arab Emirates announced the second: its intention to host the first ever international center of excellence on countering violent extremism, slated to open in Abu Dhabi in the fall of 2012. The forum is co-chaired by Turkey and the United States.

3. We counter violent extremism. To defeat terrorists, we must undermine their ability to recruit. We work to delegitimize the violent extremist narrative, to develop positive alternatives for populations vulnerable to recruitment, and to build partner government and civil society capacity to counter violent extremism themselves.

4. We engage with foreign governments. We hold regular bilateral, regional, and multilateral dialogues on shared counterterrorism issues and consult with foreign governments on urgent and emerging threats. Through bilateral and multilateral engagement we work with our more capable partners to enhance the abilities of countries around the world to counter terrorism and to cooperate more effectively together. We exchange intelligence, information, and best practices and procedures to ensure that we all are in the best possible position to thwart terrorist plots and take and keep terrorists off the streets. We help draft foreign counterterrorism laws. We routinely advise foreign governments on best practices for counterterrorism crisis management, and maintain cooperative research and development agreements with partner nations.

5. We respond to crises. We lead an interagency crisis response team, known as the Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST). Established in 1985, the FEST is ready to travel at four hours notice to the scene of an overseas emergency and provide round the clock advice and assistance to Ambassadors and foreign governments facing crises. The FEST’s interagency team has responded to real-world bombings, kidnappings, and other crises around the globe, and also supports and participates in training exercises for such incidents. FEST training and response activities have occurred in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. We have deployed a FEST 31 times since 1989.

6. We strategize. We work closely with the National Security Staff and other agencies to develop, refine and implement U.S. counterterrorism strategy and operations to disrupt and defeat the networks that support terrorism.

7. We designate. We prepare designations that carry legal sanctions of State Sponsors of Terrorism, foreign terrorist organizations, entities and individuals, and countries not fully cooperating with U.S. counterterrorism efforts for consideration by the Secretary of State.

8. We support research and development. We co-chair (with the Department of Defense) the interagency Technical Support Working Group (TSWG). TSWG conducts the National Interagency Combating Terrorism Research and Development Program whose purpose is to enhance the counterterrorism technology and equipment capabilities of U.S. government agencies involved in counterterrorism activities.

9. We support the safe recovery of hostages. The Hostage Policy Subgroup refines and implements official U.S. government policy toward Americans taken captive abroad. We work closely with interagency partners to shape and guide implementation of hostage policy in a way that accomplishes the safe recovery of hostages, bringing of hostage-takers to justice, and the prevention of future incidents.

10. We strengthen homeland security. We work in partnership with DHS, as well as other agencies and bureaus, to strengthen international cooperation on a wide range of homeland security issues, including transportation security, the interdiction of terrorist travel, and critical infrastructure protection.

Ambassador Daniel Benjamin briefs the press on the creation of the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., January 4, 2012.