UNOCT: Terror threat posed by ISIL ‘remains volatile and complex’


The threat posed by the terrorist group ISIL remains dynamic and diverse, with Africa currently experiencing the highest level of activity worldwide.

While multiple ISIL leaders have perished in the past few years, “the group has managed to retain its operational capacity”, Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) told the Security Council Wednesday. ISIL makes use of regional and domestic affiliates and continues to receive substantial global donations, operating through regional hubs and cross-border financial networks. The threat the extremist group poses is notably exacerbated in Africa’s Sahel region, where ISIL affiliates such as Islamic State West Africa Province have emerged as prolific producers of terrorist propaganda, which continues to attract foreign recruits.

Read more…
Source: UN Office of Counter-Terrorism


Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Explosion close to Khost governor’s convoy of vehicles leaves 5 wounded

    April 21, 2020

    An explosion took place close to the convoy of the vehicles of Khost governor Mohammad Halim Fidai in South-eastern Khost province earlier today. A government source privy of the development said the incident took place earlier today as Mr. Fidai was on his way to his office. The source further added that the explosion left at least ...

  • Home-made bomb delivered to Hong Kong police chief’s office in envelope

    April 20, 2020

    Hong Kong’s police chief received an improvised explosive device at his headquarters on Monday, though no one was injured and evacuation was deemed unnecessary. At an afternoon press briefing, police said the attack represented an “open challenge” and warned against home-grown terrorism, saying the device was similar to ones used by overseas terror groups. The home-made bomb ...

  • The Growing Threat Posed by Accelerationism and Accelerationist Groups Worldwide

    April 20, 2020

    As the world is paralyzed by the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), some violent non-state actors have welcomed the global pandemic as an opportunity to push their propaganda and ideology, and perhaps to strike at their perceived foes. White supremacist extremists see the pandemic as confirmation of many of the movement’s preexisting beliefs, and as ...

  • Car bombing injures civilians in north Syria’s Kurdish-majority city of Afrin

    April 19, 2020

    At least six civilians were wounded in a car bombing in Syria’s northwest city of Afrin that has been under the control of Turkish-backed militias for just over two years, local sources said on Saturday. The explosion occurred near a recently established bridge in the center of Afrin city, by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBEID) ...

  • Iraq: Four ISIS attacks in central Iraqi province of Diyala injure 11

    April 18, 2020

    Nine members of the Iraqi security forces and two civilians were injured on Saturday in four separate attacks by the so-called Islamic State in the central province of Diyala. According to a statement released by the Iraqi army, an explosion at a residence led to the injury of six soldiers in the Khaylania neighborhood of Miqdadiya, ...

  • The Oklahoma City Bombing: Its Aftermath and the Evolution of Soft Target Protection

    April 17, 2020

    Twenty-five years ago, a truck bomb detonated in front of a federal building, killing at least 168 people and injuring more than 680 people. How did enterprise security change after the event? At 9:02 a.m., on the morning of April 19, 1995, a truck bomb, containing more than 4,800 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, nitromethane and ...

  • Amid Covid-19, Rising Tide of Narcotics Trafficking from Pakistan Feeds Jihadist Upsurge in Indian Ocean

    April 17, 2020

    Islamic State cells in the Maldives, known to have close links with Indian Ocean drug cartels, have over the past eight weeks staged multiple attacks, including bomb strikes on police boats. Fears are mounting that a surge in narcotics shipments by cartels operating out of Pakistani ports could be linked to sharp escalation in Islamic State ...

  • ISIS and coronavirus: Will terrorists exploit COVID-19?

    April 17, 2020

    The coronavirus is generally held to represent a common threat to all nations and communities. It does not differentiate according to religion, ethnicity or national origin. The pandemic has even produced examples of enemies working together against the new invisible foe. Medical personnel from Hamas-controlled Gaza, for example, have traveled to Israeli hospitals to learn techniques for ...

  • Wounded Pakistani militant arrested, Taliban IED planter killed in Nangarhar

    April 16, 2020

    The Afghan forces arrested a wounded Pakistani militant during an operation in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, the local authorities said. According to a statement released by the provincial government, the Afghan forces arrested Zrar Hafeez, a Pakistani national who had sustained injuries in Momand Dara district. The statement further added that the security forces arrested the ...

  • Germany arrests IS suspects plotting attacks on US bases

    April 15, 2020

    German police have arrested four suspected members of the “Islamic State” militant group, for allegedly planning attacks on US military bases. The suspects were also said to be plotting to assassinate an individual. German prosecutors on Wednesday said four men had been arrested for plotting to carry out attacks in the name of the terror group ...

  • 202 killed, injured since US-Taliban peace deal

    April 14, 2020

    202 people both civilians and security forces have been killed and injured after the US and Taliban signed a peace agreement on February 29 that encourages the militants to reduce violence, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said. The commission said Tuesday in a report that government’s civil employees, religious scholars and tribal elders were ...

  • 29 Taliban militants killed, wounded in separate incidents in Badghis province

    April 14, 2020

    At least 29 Taliban militants were killed or wounded in separate incidents in the North-western Badghis province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said. According to a statement released by MoD, the security forces conducted an operation against the Taliban militants who had blocked the Qads-Qala-e Naw highway. The statement further added that the security forces ...

  • Somalia: bomb blast injured four civilians

    April 14, 2020

    A bomb blast in the Karan district on Tuesday injured four civilians, who were urgently taken to a hospital nearby, security sources reported. Mogadishu Police reported the attack appeared to be targeting an Army vehicle transporting Somali military personnel moving shortly before to the site. According to the security source, the four civilians were injured as debris ...

  • Back to Back explosions rock Kabul city

    April 12, 2020

    Back to back explosions rocked Kabul city earlier today with the security officials saying the explosions wounded at least three people including a civilian and security personnel. A source in Kabul Police Headquarters said the first explosion happened at around 6:30 am local time in in the 11th district of Kabul city which wounded a civilian. The ...

  • Roadside bomb kills 2 Pakistani soldiers near Afghan border

    April 10, 2020

    A roadside bomb exploded near a Pakistani paramilitary vehicle in restive southwestern Baluchistan province Friday, killing two soldiers who were clearing the area for fencing the border with Afghanistan, two intelligence officials said. Two other persons were also wounded in the blast near the Chaman border, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as ...