OSCE Mobile Training Team trains border and security officers from Ukraine on identifying foreign terrorist fighters

The OSCE’s Mobile Training Team delivered a three-day interactive course on identifying foreign terrorist fighters to 30 border and security officers from Ukraine. The event took place from 22 to 24 May 2018 in Odesa. The deployment of the Mobile Training Team, the fifth of its kind, was organized by the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department.

The participants learned how to identify potential foreign terrorist fighters at border crossing points, in compliance with international human rights standards. The programme focused on international, regional and national legal frameworks and the effective use of Interpol databases.

The border and security officers of Ukraine were provided with a practical training session on travel document security including the detection of forged documents and imposters. They were also able to improve their knowledge of the risk analysis model applied to foreign terrorist fighters and the history, background, trends and current cases of such individuals.  

Participants also engaged in an interactive exercise to deepen their understanding of the behavioural indicators of foreign terrorist fighters.

“Foreign terrorist fighters constitute one of the major threats to international and regional security,” said Albina Yakubova, Porgramme Management Officer of the OSCE Border Security and Management Unit, as she opened the training course. “Without adequate training it is nearly impossible to identify them successfully and in a human rights-compliant manner”.

The course was delivered by members of the OSCE Mobile Training Team from Malta, Spain and Ukraine. Expert speakers from the Asia-Pacific Foundation, the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, Austria’s Interior Ministry, INTERPOL and the OSCE shared their knowledge and expertise in the identification of foreign terrorist fighters at the borders.

The OSCE Mobile Training Team was established by the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department in 2016. It is composed of 17 selected border and counter-terrorism experts from OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation.