By Tesfa Mogessie
ADDIS ABABA
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hosien Amir Abdollahain on Saturday said that his country was ready to contribute in the fight against terrorism in Africa.
"Boko Haram and ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] follow extreme thoughts and have blood on their hand as they murdered many civilians," Abdollahain told a press conference on the sidelines of the 24th African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
He said that Iran has provided support for Syria to fight ISIL and other militant groups.
"I believe that Syria could have political solutions," he said.
Syria has been ravaged by civil war since 2011 for almost four years now.
Around 191,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far, while almost half of the Syrian population displaced both inside and outside Syria, according to the United Nations.
The Iranian diplomat accused the United States some western countries of using double standards in fighting terrorism.
"Even ISIS has connection with western intelligence services," he alleged.
Turning to Yemen's turmoil, Abdollahain said that political solution is an "ideal" option for the Arab country.
"Tehran could avail necessary support to Yemen in its effort to function as a state and fight terrorism," he said.
Fractious Yemen has remained in a state of turmoil since autocratic President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in 2012 following a months-long popular uprising against his 33-year stint in power.
In September, Yemen's Shiite Houthi group seized control of capital Sanaa and sought to extend its influence to other provinces as well.
