Former UK PM Tony Blair warns west should prepare for Bio-terrorism threat
September 6, 2021, 11:22 am

Former UK PM Tony Blair warns west should prepare for Bio-terrorism threat

Tony Blair-UK

The Newsmax reported according to Reuters, former British prime minister Tony Blair said on Monday, Islamism remains a "first order" security threat and the West should prepare for potential use of biological weapons by extremist groups.

The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan last month as the United States withdrew its troops after a 20-year war, and Britain fears the group's return and the vacuum left by the West's chaotic withdrawal will allow militants from al-Qaida and Islamic State to gain a foothold there.

"Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first order security threat and, unchecked, it will come to us, even if centered far from us, as 9/11 demonstrated," Blair said in a speech at the RUSI security think tank to mark the twentieth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Blair said the West needed to assess its vulnerability.

He said: "COVID-19 has taught us about deadly pathogens. Bio-terror possibilities may seem like the realm of science fiction. But we would be wise now to prepare for their potential use by non-state actors."

The former prime minister, who sent British troops into Afghanistan in 2001, said with limited appetite for military engagement from the United States, Britain should work more closely with European countries on how best to develop capacity to tackle the threat in areas such as Africa's Sahel region.

"Counter-terrorism on its own won’t remove an entrenched threat," he said. "We need some boots on the ground. Naturally our preference is for the boots to be local but that will not always be possible," he said.

Source: newsmax

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.