US envoy warns UN Security Council of shifting terror threat

Michael Waltz, the US representative to the United Nations, warned at a Security Council meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks that the threat of terrorism is changing, and called on member states to cut off funding to extremist groups and eliminate their safe havens.

Speaking on Friday, September 11, at a meeting titled “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts,” he said extremist groups are now using modern technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence and encrypted communications. According to him, countering this threat requires continuing to pursue the planners of attacks and removing the conditions that allow them to operate.

In part of his remarks, Waltz referred to his military experience in Afghanistan and recounted the death of Matthew Posino, a former American soldier. He said the soldier joined the army after the September 11 attacks and later served under his command in Afghanistan as a Green Beret special forces member.

According to the US representative, insurgents in Afghanistan used roadside bombs and trip wires to circumvent the limitations of jamming devices. He added that Matthew Posino repeatedly volunteered to ride on a motorcycle ahead of armored vehicle convoys to identify these threats.

Waltz said that when he warned the soldier about the dangers of his work, he replied that he would rather be the one to suffer than see several of his comrades killed in the armored vehicle. According to him, the soldier eventually failed to spot a mine one night and was killed in the explosion in Afghanistan.

The US representative described paying tribute to the soldier as part of commemorating the 2,977 victims of the September 11 attacks, saying they came from more than 90 countries. He also said terrorist attacks in recent years had targeted various countries, including France, Britain, Russia, Pakistan and China.

Michael Waltz is a former officer in the US Army Special Forces, known as the Green Berets, and before entering political office he carried out several combat missions in Afghanistan. The Security Council meeting was also held to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, which led to the start of the war by the United States and its allies in Afghanistan.