UNITED NATIONS: Daesh extremists are exploiting instability in Africa and Syria and remain a significant threat in Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe, UN counterterrorism experts said Wednesday.
The militant group is now using advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, and social media, which poses a new challenge, the experts told a UN Security Council meeting.
The Daesh group , which uses the name Islamic State,declared a self-styled caliphate in a large swath of Syria and Iraq that it seized in 2014. It was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year battle that left tens of thousands of people dead and cities in ruins, but its sleeper cells remain in both countries and it has affiliates and supporters in many other countries.
The UN has seen a resurgence of activity by the Daesh in the Sahel — in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — and in West Africa the group has emerged “as a prolific producer of terrorist propaganda and attracted foreign terrorist fighters, primarily from within the region,” said Vladimir Voronkov, who heads the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism.
He said arrests in Libya have revealed logistics and financing networks with connections to Daesh in the Sahel.
In Somalia, Voronkov said, a large-scale Daesh attack was countered by Somali security forces and some 200 IS fighters were killed and over 150 arrested. But he said despite the losses IS still benefits from regional support networks and remains a threat.
In northcentral Africa’s Lake Chad Basin region, the Islamic State is “increasingly receiving foreign material and human support to conduct its operations, including money, drones and expertise on improvised explosive devices,” said Natalia Gherman, who heads the executive directorate of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee.
“Its ability to adapt and exploit instability continues to pose significant challenges, particularly in parts of Africa,” she said. “The continent bears over half the world’s fatalities from terrorist attacks.”
In the Middle East, Voronkov said IS is active in Iraq and Syria, where it is trying to restore its operations in the northwest Badia desert region and renew effort to destabilize local authorities. He said the militants are exploiting security gaps, conducting covert operations and inciting sectarian tensions in Syria.
In Afghanistan, the Daesh group’s Khorasan affiliate “continues to represent one of the most serious threats to Central Asia and beyond,” Voronkov said, citing its targeting of civilians, minority groups and foreign nationals.
Gherman added that IS-Khorasan is using “propaganda tactics and online campaigns” to try to recruit and fundraise in Central Asia and Europe.
She called for innovative responses to the Daesh group’s use of artificial intelligence and social media for recruitment, fundraising and propaganda.
“Although AI is being harnessed to amplify the group’s reach and impact, it also holds significant potential for states to enhance the detection, prevention and disruption of terrorist activities,” Gherman said.
Elisa De Anda Madrazo, president of the Financial Action Task Force, which researches how terrorism is financed, said a major change is that “Digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps and crowdfunding systems are increasingly being abused for terrorist financing.”
Daesh extremists exploit instability in Africa and Syria, UN experts say
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Daesh extremists exploit instability in Africa and Syria, UN experts say
- The militant group is now using advanced technologies, including AI and social media, which poses a new challenge, experts tell UN Security Council
- UN Office of Counter-Terrorism monitors resurgence of activity by the Daesh in the Sahel — in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — and in West Africa
Why US-Syrian coordination is more important than ever
- A deadly Daesh attack on a joint patrol strengthens the case for cooperation between Washington and Damascus, say analysts
- They say as Syria joins global anti-Daesh coalition, sustained US and international support is vital to dismantle the Assad regime legacy
LONDON: A deadly terrorist attack that targeted a joint patrol of Syrian security forces and US troops near the ancient city of Palmyra has drawn strong condemnation across the Arab world, while also highlighting the importance and potential of emerging cooperation between Damascus and Washington.
Saturday’s attack in Palmyra, in Syria’s central Homs countryside, struck a joint Syrian-US patrol during a field tour of the area. The city, home to UNESCO-listed ruins, was occupied by Daesh during two periods between 2015 and 2017, marked by systematic cultural destruction, public executions and severe repression of civilians.
According to official accounts, the assailant opened fire on the patrol, killing two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter, and wounding three US troops and two Syrian security personnel. US Central Command said the attacker was an alleged Daesh militant who was subsequently killed.
In a post on the social-media platform X, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani condemned the attack, calling it a “terrorist” assault on a joint counterterrorism patrol. He extended condolences to the families of the victims and to the US government and people, and wished the injured a swift recovery.
On Sunday, Syria’s Interior Ministry said the attacker was a member of the security forces who had been identified for dismissal over extremist views. Noureddine Al-Baba, a ministry spokesperson, said the individual had served for more than 10 months, had been posted to several cities, and was due to be fired for holding “extremist Islamist ideas.”
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, warned of “very serious retaliation,” describing the incident as a Daesh attack in a part of Syria “not fully controlled” by Damascus. He added that Syria’s interim president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, was “extremely angry and disturbed” by the assault.
For Ghassan Ibrahim, a Syria expert and founder of the Global Arab Network, the attack exposes long-standing structural problems rather than a sudden failure. “These problems are not new; what is happening now is that we are uncovering them,” he told Arab News.
He said extremism and the resurgence of Daesh were rooted in the legacy of the deposed regime of Bashar Assad, compounded by years of international disengagement and mismanagement of the Syrian conflict. “Daesh, extremism and similar threats are the direct result of that failure,” he said, adding that the current moment should be used to confront, rather than evade, these realities.
Ibrahim argued that the Palmyra incident must be understood in the context of a rapidly rebuilt security apparatus. The Syrian government, he said, has been working under intense pressure to reconstruct its army and internal security forces after years of war. “What happened was largely a consequence of the urgency of that rebuilding process,” he said.
Crucially, he added, the incident could ultimately strengthen cooperation with Washington. Syrian officials, through ongoing contacts with US counterparts, understand that despite the tragedy, the attack could serve as a catalyst for deeper coordination. “The Americans understand this does not point to a systemic security gap,” Ibrahim said. “Incidents like this can occur in any army, especially one that is barely a year old.”
KEY DATES IN US-SYRIA POLICY SHIFT
• May 13: President Trump announces US will end sanctions on Syria.
• May 23: Caesar Act sanctions waived for 180 days.
• July 1: Comprehensive US sanctions on Syria formally terminated.
• Nov. 10: Caesar Act waiver extended for an additional 180 days.
Both Ibrahim and Ibrahim Hamidi, editor-in-chief of the Arabic magazine Al-Majalla, stressed that the Palmyra attack underscores the inseparable link between security and development.
Central Syria, particularly the vast and sparsely populated areas around Palmyra stretching toward the Euphrates, remains vulnerable to Daesh remnants, Ibrahim said. Many militants, he noted, escaped from prisons or camps once controlled by Kurdish-led forces in the northeast, sometimes through bribery, and now operate with relative freedom.
“Eliminating Daesh is essential for sustainable development,” Ibrahim said. “Without security, development cannot be sustained.” He added that this dual imperative explains Syria’s decision to join the international coalition against Daesh — a strategy aimed at restoring stability while laying the groundwork for long-term recovery.
Hamidi echoed that assessment, saying US talk of “retaliation” would likely be interpreted in Damascus as a signal of readiness for closer cooperation rather than confrontation. Such cooperation, he said, could involve intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and stricter vetting of new recruits in Syria’s General Security services.
But he cautioned that cooperation is a delicate process. “It is built quietly,” Hamidi said, noting that Syria formally joined the Global Coalition Against Daesh during interim President Al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington and his meeting with Trump on Nov. 10. The Palmyra attack, he added, is a major test of whether trust can be institutionalized.
Hamidi said when he met Al-Sharaa in August, the Syrian leader, who has survived three attempts on his life by Daeshs, identified the group as his enemy number one, citing the loss of 2,000 men so far. Damascus, he added, expects greater US support given that Syrian government forces are Sunni conservatives and direct partners in the fight against Daesh, unlike other regional actors.
Addressing the deeper question of Syria’s need for international backing, Hamidi said dismantling the legacy of the former regime — built over five or six decades — cannot be achieved quickly or in isolation. “The Palmyra attack is the first in which both American and Syrian victims were killed, but it will not be the last,” he said. “Joint counterterrorism operations will reduce the risks.”
That message was echoed by Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, who said the attack underscored Daesh’s enduring global threat. Washington’s strategy, he said, is to empower capable Syrian partners with limited US operational support, keeping the fight local while preventing a resurgence of the group.
Meanwhile, Arab states have strongly condemned the attack in Syria. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan all issued statements rejecting terrorism and expressing solidarity with Syria and the US, underscoring regional backing for stability and counterterrorism cooperation.
The attack came amid a broader recalibration of US policy toward Syria following the fall of the Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024. Sanctions have been eased, the Caesar Act partially suspended, and Syria has been reintegrated into international frameworks, including the Global Coalition Against Daesh as its 90th member.
While Syria’s formal participation in the anti-Daesh coalition is new, coordination with the US began shortly after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime, when the extremist group appeared to be regrouping and expanding its operations.
Daesh mounted at least 660 attacks across Syria in 2024 — its most active year since its territorial defeat in 2019 — according to data compiled by Syria Weekly.
On Nov. 8, two days before President Al-Sharaa’s trip to Washington, Syria’s Interior Ministry said it had carried out 61 nationwide raids targeting Daesh cells. The operations resulted in 71 arrests and the seizure of weapons and explosives, the ministry told state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV.
