New York: Lamenting that the international community made hardly any progress in addressing the situation of the thousands of individuals, mostly women and children, suspected of having links with ISIL and being held in precarious conditions in Iraq and Syria, a top United Nations official has said the terror outfit was again rising in the region.
Briefing the UN Security Council on the Secretary‑General’s twelfth biannual strategic report on ISIL threats here on February 10, 2021, Under‑Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and the head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, said that while ISIL had not developed any purposeful strategy to exploit the pandemic, its primary focus remained resurgence in Iraq and Syria. He said that the group intensified its efforts to regroup and reinvigorate its activities in the second half of 2020.
He informed that some 10,000 ISIL fighters, including foreign terrorist fighters, remained active in the region. These sizeable remnants were assessed to pose a major, long-term and global threat, and he warned that increased online exposure to extremist propaganda and incitement could lead to a sudden rash of terrorist attacks when pandemic-induced movement restrictions ease. “We must defeat ISIL in the cyberspace,” he stated, adding that the terror outfit could regain the capacity to orchestrate attacks in different parts of the world in 2021. Outside conflict zones, according to him, the risk of exposure to ISIL propaganda and incitement had continued to grow as people — especially the youth — spend more time at home and online.
According to Voronkov the already dire humanitarian and security situation in detention facilities and displacement camps was deteriorating even further, especially in Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria, where almost 62,000 people are living, 93 per cent of whom are women and children, including more than 31,000 children under the age of 12. Here many instances of terrorist radicalisation, fundraising, training and incitement had been reported. He further informed that some 27,500 foreign children were still in harm’s way in the camps in north-east Syria, including about 8,000 children from some 60 countries other than Iraq. Ninety per cent of them were under the age of 12.
Beyond the humanitarian urgency, the moral imperative and the legal obligations, Voronkov said, taking action was a strategic security imperative. He reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s call to Member States for the voluntary repatriation of adults and children stranded in Iraq and Syria, with the consent of relevant Governments and in line with international law, and commended Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Uzbekistan for having repatriated hundreds of affected children from north-east Syria. Other States, especially European countries, have conducted fewer repatriations, he added, expressing hope that they will step up their efforts.
Turning to other regions, he said ISIL affiliates in West Africa conducted numerous attacks against the military and civilians at the end of 2020 in the tri‑border area among Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, and in the Lake Chad Basin, demonstrating determination and adaptability. The Islamic State Central Africa Province is emerging as a strong regional affiliate, employing sophisticated tactics and capabilities, emboldened by recent operational successes in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In Europe, a string of attacks in France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, partly inspired by ISIL, provided a stark reminder of the diffuse threat from homegrown terrorist attacks by lone actors, he said, noting that, in Asia, ISIL’s affiliate in Afghanistan was assessed to still have between 1,000 and 2,200 fighters spread across several provinces.
The representative of the United States told the UNSC that the Biden Administration is committed to working with global coalitions to defeat ISIL, which remains a serious threat in Iraq, Syria and other nations. Preventing an ISIL resurgence remains a priority, he said, adding that the international community’s efforts and understanding must adapt to ever-evolving threats.
Pressing concerns include counter‑financing, detention, repatriation and stabilizing areas liberated by ISIL. Indeed, the threat will grow if States fail to repatriate their citizens, he cautioned, adding that it is simply the right thing to do, given that many are children in detention, where education and other basic services are almost non‑existent. Alarmed that ISIL affiliates are working together, he pledged to work with Council committees on this and other issues, especially at a time when terrorists are exploiting the pandemic to advance their agendas, adapting messages to undermine confidence in Governments and sow violence.
The representative of the Russian Federation said terrorists were using the Internet to spread their ideas amid the pandemic and its related socioeconomic upheaval, and added that ISIL remained a growing threat in Central Africa, threatening to spread south. Noting that terrorists use the fact that there is a lack of unity among States, he recalled that ISIL stems from the illegal use of force by a foreign State and an illicit supply of arms. Member States should demonstrate a united front, he said, adding that combating ISIL was the goal of United Nations entities and programmes, which all countries should support.
The representative of India said easy access to new and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, drones and alternative currencies, must be addressed, as ISIL continued to gain strength far beyond Iraq and Syria. While pointing out that terrorist organisations have worked in Pakistan and other nations in South-East Asia, perpetrating and planning attacks, the Indian representative demanded that all groups should be named in subsequent counter-terrorism reports.
– global bihari bureau
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