Experts from the United Nations warned in a report released on Monday that the terrorist organization ISIS still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in its former stronghold of Syria and Iraq. Its fighters also pose the most significant terrorist threat in Afghanistan today.
These experts, monitoring sanctions imposed on the extremist organization, mentioned, “Throughout the first half of 2023, the threat posed by ISIS remained predominantly high in conflict areas.”
However, the committee told the Security Council in its report that “the overall situation remains active.” Despite the significant losses suffered by the group and its declining activities in Syria and Iraq, the risk of its resurgence persists, as reported by the English-language newspaper “Middle East,” citing the “Associated Press.”
The committee added that the group has “adapted its strategy, integrated with the local population, and cautiously selected battles expected to result in limited losses while reorganizing its ranks and recruiting more militants from camps in northeastern Syria and vulnerable communities, including neighboring countries.”
Despite ongoing counter-terrorism operations, ISIS continues to lead between 5,000 and 7,000 members throughout Iraq and Syria, “mostly fighters”, intentionally decreasing its activities “to facilitate recruitment and reorganization.”
Nearly 11,000 militants suspected of being ISIS fighters are detained in facilities operated by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who played a prominent role in the fight against ISIS. Among these fighters, over 3,500 are Iraqis and about 2,000 hail from roughly 70 different nationalities.
Northeast Syria houses two closed camps, Al-Hol and Roj, where experts say they contain approximately 55,000 individuals allegedly linked or related to ISIS, living under “harsh” conditions and facing “significant humanitarian challenges.”
About two-thirds of these populations are children, including over 11,800 Iraqis, around 16,000 Syrians, and over 6,700 youngsters from more than 60 other countries. An unnamed source cited by the expert committee mentioned that ISIS continues its “Cubs of the Caliphate” program, recruiting children in the overcrowded Al-Hol camp.
Additionally, over 850 children, some as young as 10, are in detention and rehabilitation centers in northeastern Syria, according to the experts.
In Afghanistan, the committee said the UN warns that ISIS represents the gravest terrorist threat to the country and the region as a whole. According to the report, ISIS has enhanced its operational capabilities and currently has an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 fighters and their families in Afghanistan.
In Africa, experts mentioned that the “deployment of regional forces in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province has disrupted the ISIS branch. Regional states estimate they now have 180-220 experienced combatants, down from 280 previously,” according to the report.
Experts added that several countries expressed concerns that terrorist groups like ISIS might exploit political violence and instability in conflict-ridden Sudan.
In conclusion, experts noted that some countries warn that the ISIS branch in the African Sahel region “is increasingly becoming autonomous and plays a significant role in escalating violence in the area, alongside other terrorist groups,” pointing to a surge in ISIS attacks on various fronts in Mali and, to a lesser extent, in Burkina Faso and Niger.”
