NEW YORK CITY: Daesh remains an active and dangerous presence in the Middle East, the UN warned on Wednesday, as the group works to rebuild its operations in Syria and Iraq, even after the loss of senior leaders.
Vladimir Voronkov, the UN’s counterterrorism chief, told the Security Council that Daesh has maintained its operational capacity in the region and continues to exploit instability, especially in the Badia region of Syria and parts of the country under the control of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham.
“Daesh continues to exploit security gaps, engage in covert operations and incite sectarian tensions in Syria,” Voronkov said as he presented Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s 21st report on the threat posed by the terrorist organization.
The group also remains active in Iraq, he added, where it seeks to destabilize local authorities and reclaim influence.
The humanitarian and security situations in northeastern Syria remain “deeply concerning,” Voronkov warned, particularly in the camps and detention facilities that hold suspected terrorists and their families.
“The secretary-general’s concern about stockpiles of weapons falling into the hands of terrorists has, unfortunately, materialized,” he said.
In Afghanistan, Daesh-Khorasan continues to pose one of the most serious terrorist threats to Central Asia and beyond, through ongoing attacks against civilians, minority groups and foreign nationals, while leveraging dissatisfaction with the de facto authorities.
Despite the ongoing threats in the Middle East, Africa remains the region experiencing the highest intensity of Daesh-related activity, Voronkov said, with violence escalating in West Africa and the Sahel.
There has been a resurgence of Daesh in the Greater Sahara, while Daesh-West Africa Province has emerged as a key source of propaganda that is attracting foreign fighters, primarily from within the region.
In Libya, arrests have revealed the logistical and financial networks linked to the group and connected to the Sahel. In Somalia, a large-scale Daesh attack in Puntland early this year involving foreign fighters prompted a military counteroffensive that killed 200 militants and resulted in more than 150 arrests.
“Though weakened, Daesh still benefits from regional support networks,” Voronkov said.
Assistant Secretary-General Natalia Gherman, executive director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate, or CTED, echoed the concerns. She noted that Daesh-Somalia’s role as a global logistical hub has been growing recently, though counteroffensives had degraded some of its operational capabilities.
Daesh continues to exploit instability in Africa, she added, where more than half of the world’s terrorism-related fatalities now occur. In the Lake Chad Basin region, for example, the group has received foreign money, drones, and expertise on improvised explosive devices.
Gherman also highlighted the growing use by Daesh of emerging technologies and financial innovations, as terrorist groups increasingly leverage encrypted platforms, artificial intelligence, and cross-border financial systems to raise funds, spread propaganda and recruit new members.
In response to these evolving threats, CTED has visited countries across Europe and Africa, including Somalia, Chad, Cameroon, Hungary and Malta, to assess local capacities and provide tailored support.
The EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility has helped implement legislative reforms and capacity building in countries such as Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and Tajikistan.
Voronkov urged member states to invest more in long-term strategies for prevention, rather than focusing only on killing or capturing the leaders of terrorist groups. He said effective counterterrorism efforts must address the root causes of radicalization, while complying with the requirements of international law.
He raised concerns in particular about detention camps in northeastern Syria, where tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, continue to be held in unsafe and undignified conditions, risking further radicalization.
Gherman said that CTED is helping states address such challenges through the adoption of principles for tackling the use of drones, financial tech and artificial intelligence for terrorism purposes.
Despite the geopolitical and resource-related constraints, both of the officials emphasized the need for sustained international collaboration on the issue.
“The persistence of the threat posed by Daesh, despite national and international efforts, underscores the urgency of sustained global counterterrorism cooperation,” said Voronkov.
