Interpol joins global coalition against the Islamic State

Interpol has joined the global coalition to counter the Islamic State (IS) to support efforts in stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and stopping IS financing, said the world police body based in Lyon, France, in a statement released on Friday.

Interpol would act as the "catalyst" for a strong, international policing component in this united effort to counter the terrorist threat, said Interppol's Secretary General Jurgen Stock, who was attending the global coalition's ministerial meeting on fighting IS held in Washington.

"Sharing through Interpol means extending any national security perimeter," said Stock, adding that a key step was to "build a bridge" between the conflict zone and law enforcement abroad.

Data on more than 7,500 foreign fighters shared by nearly 60 nations via Interpol is currently accessible by its members for investigations, cross-checks and screening at borders. Meanwhile, thousands of additional records are also being exploited by Interpol for analytical purposes to provide leads for law enforcement agencies around the world, said Interpol in the statement.

Stock also underlined the need for building police capacity and for intelligence to be made available to frontline officers to reduce the possibility of IS affiliates to move across borders.

Created in September 2014, the global coalition to counter IS now has 67 members after Interpol's participation. Interpol will mainly give its support in impeding the flow of foreign fighters and stopping IS financing and funding, said the statement. Endit