New funding announced for British counter-extremism unit

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday announced new funding worth 5 million pounds (about $7.52 million) for a Commonwealth counter-extremism unit.

The new investment included 1 million pounds a year for five years to help fund the unit, which is expected to focus on strengthening ability of Commonwealth countries to counter extremism, Xinhua news agency reported.

Cameron also unveiled additional 2,00,000 pounds funding to expand European counter-radicalisation youth network to include the Commonwealth, according to the Downing Street.

"The fight against extremism is something that affects us all. The Commonwealth has a vital role to play in broadening international efforts to counter extremism," Cameron said .

As part of British government's comprehensive strategy for tackling extremism, Cameron wanted "to increase cooperation with countries around the world to share best practice and identify new approaches to countering poisonous ideologies," a Downing Street statement said.