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:

  • Second bomb rocks Philippine town of Isulan as internet cafe targeted

    September 3, 2018

    Suspected militants on Sunday detonated a second bomb in less than a week in a southern Philippine town, killing at least one and wounding 15. The homemade bomb went off near an internet cafe in Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat province, said regional military commander Brigadier General Cirilito Sobejana. “We’ve temporarily placed Isulan on a lockdown. We ...

  • Army, Coast Guard speedboats damaged after Masbate port explosion

    September 3, 2018

    Two rescue speedboats of the Philippine Army and Philippine Coast Guard were damaged when an improvised explosive device, set up by still unidentified suspects near the Coast Guard office, exploded at the Masbate City Port in Bapor Village, Masbate City, Masbate Monday morning. Chief Insp. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 5 (Bicol) ...

  • Cardiff woman appears in court on explosives and terror charges

    September 3, 2018

    A woman has appeared in court charged with making explosives at the Cardiff home she shared with her boyfriend and possessing terrorist documents. Natalie Parsons, 51, from Ely, Cardiff, faces two counts of knowingly possessing an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances. The mother of six grown-up children is also charged with four counts of collecting a record ...

  • Two Explosions Shake Kandahar City

    September 2, 2018

    Two explosions were reported in Kandahar city in Sunday night, wounding at least six policemen, officials said. One Afghan National Police (ANP) officer was wounded in the first IED explosion in Kandahar’s PD14. Local officials said the explosive device had been placed in an electrical box. A second IED was detonated when first responders rushed to the ...

  • Ukraine: Top rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko killed in Donetsk blast

    August 31, 2018

    The head of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk Republic” in eastern Ukraine, Alexander Zakharchenko, has died in an explosion at a Donetsk coffee shop. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Ukraine was likely behind the bombing. Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine confirmed that key separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko was killed on Friday, adding that that several “Ukrainian operatives” were detained after the ...

  • UK expands counter-IED support in Africa

    August 30, 2018

    The Prime Minister Theresa May today visited a UK-funded counter improvised explosive device (C-IED) training facility at the Humanitarian Peace Support School (HPSS) in Nairobi. With the help of the British Army who are working closely with their Kenyan partners to combat terrorism and save lives in East Africa, the facility is expanding into a regional ...

  • Blast kills 7 security personnel in Burkina Faso

    August 29, 2018

    Seven members of the security forces were killed early Tuesday after their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in eastern Burkina Faso, security sources said. The fatalities were gendarmes and troops who had been sent to the town of Pama as reinforcements after a police station there came under attack, they said. “Seven members of the defence and ...

  • Device fitted under police officer’s car ‘had high-grade explosives’

    August 28, 2018

    A bomb planted under an off-duty policeman’s car contained over 300 grammes of high-grade explosives, a court has heard. The details emerged at the trial of Co Armagh man Sean McVeigh who denies the attempted murder of the PSNI officer at his home in Co Londonderry over three years ago. McVeigh, 37, of Victoria Gardens, Lurgan, ...

  • Trio accused of Melbourne terror plot ‘purchased IED components and machetes’

    August 28, 2018

    Three men accused of conspiring to “wage violent jihad” in Melbourne were motivated by the belief they would die as martyrs and enter paradise, a Supreme Court trial has been told. Hamza Abbas, 23, Ahmed Mohamed, 25 and Abdullah Chaarani, 27, faced day one of their trial today. They have each been charged with conspiracy to prepare ...

  • Kenya: Theresa May’s Thursday Visit to Kenya Key in Strengthening UK Relations

    August 27, 2018

    Talks on enhancing the fight against terrorism in Kenya and the region will largely feature during British Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit in the country this week. May, in a first visit by a British premier in 30 years will arrive in the country on Thursday for bilateral talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Read more… Source: AllAfrica  

  • Terror fears as grenade numbers in UK soar

    August 19, 2018

    The number of grenades seized from criminals trying to smuggle weapons into the UK has soared, fuelling fears they could fall into the hands of terrorists. Police found 17 grenades on criminals between January and April this year, compared with 40 discovered over a four-year period between 2013 and 2017. The most recent seizures were in Sussex ...

  • Man caught with bomb-making equipment jailed for 12 years

    August 16, 2018

    Peter Morgan, 35, had already started to assemble an explosive device with the potential to cause “horrific” injuries when he was caught with bomb-making equipment and manuals at his Edinburgh home. A court heard how he had been amassing a collection of neo-Nazi, anti-Muslim, anti-semitic and racist material over a five-year period. He was earlier convicted by ...

  • Kabul suicide bomber kills 48 in tuition centre attack

    August 15, 2018

    Forty-eight people have been killed and 67 injured in a bomb explosion at an education centre in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, officials say. Police say a suicide bomber walked into the centre while teaching was under way and detonated his bomb belt. Many of those killed were teenagers who were getting extra tuition as they prepared for university ...

  • Three DoD Contractors Get Highest Civilian Valor Award for Afghan Actions

    August 14, 2018

    Three Defense Department contractors — all with special operations backgrounds — were awarded the Pentagon’s highest civilian honor Tuesday for their actions in going into combat mode to support U.S. troops in Afghanistan. At a Pentagon ceremony, Army Lt. Gen. Darsie Rogers, deputy director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), presented the civilian Medal for Valor to retired Army ...

  • Balochistan: One killed, 10 injured in Chaman IED blast

    August 13, 2018

    One person was killed while 10 others sustained injuries as an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on a motorcycle went off on Chaman’s Mall Road, Express News reported on Sunday. As a law enforcement vehicle was passing by the explosive device strapped to the vehicle went off, consequently, two FC officials are also among those injured in ...