Strong International Cooperation, Concrete Action Key to Defeat Da’esh’s Expansive, Adaptive Network, Top UN Counter-terrorism Officials Tell Security Council

Strong International Cooperation, Concrete Action Key to Defeat Da'esh's Expansive, Adaptive Network, Top UN Counter-terrorism Officials Tell Security Council

Winning the fight against Islamic State in the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) and its splinter groups requires intensive international cooperation and practical action, senior UN officials told the Security Council today, warning that terror networks are quickly adapting to the world's shifting technological and geopolitical landscapes.

"Despite international efforts, Da'esh continues to pose a serious threat to international peace and security," said Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, Chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), as he briefed the 15-member Council.

Presenting the twenty-third report of the Secretary-General on the activities of ISIL/Da'esh and the UN's efforts to support Member States' efforts to counter them, she said terrorist groups today are increasingly operating across borders and exploiting advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies.

"While sustained counter-terrorism operations have disrupted Da'esh's senior leadership and reduced its ability to direct operations centrally, the group has continued to adapt," she said. The group's structure is increasingly dispersed, but it remains resilient, with its affiliates united by a shared ideology.

Noting that 2026 marks the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, she said that - though its operations are largely decentralized - Da'esh continues to exploit fragile security environments and protracted armed conflicts to carry out attacks.

The threat remains particularly acute in parts of Africa, notably the Sahel region and the Lake Chad Basin, while the splinter group known as Islamic State West Africa Province is now the most active Da'esh affiliate in the world, she said. Da'esh affiliates also remain resilient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo despite sustained counter-terrorism pressure.

Turning to other regions, she said Syria's evolving political and security situation continues to reshape the threat environment. In South Asia, the group known as ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K) - based in Afghanistan - remains one of Da'esh's most capable affiliates, supporting and inspiring attacks across the region while exploiting local instability to recruit members and plan operations. In Iraq, counter-terrorism pressure has significantly constrained Da'esh's capabilities.

Focus on Consolidating Hard-Won Gains

"The challenge now is to consolidate these hard-won gains," she said, calling for strong and accountable institutions, effective justice administration, and measures to address the conditions that could enable a broader resurgence of Da'esh. Emphasizing that no Member State can tackle the threat alone, she added: "As terrorist networks adapt and increasingly operate across borders, international cooperation must translate into practical action."

In that vein, she cited the need for information-sharing, border management, criminal justice cooperation, financial investigations and coordinated responses. Member States must also address Da'esh's increasingly sophisticated use of technology, such as advances in AI, encrypted communications, virtual assets and unmanned aircraft systems. Stronger governance, oversight and international cooperation - including with the private sector - is critical.

UN Action

Outlining various UN programmes to support Member States' counter-terrorism priorities, she said the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact helps UN entities deliver coordinated technical assistance. During Counter-Terrorism Week at UN Headquarters, from 26 June to 2 July, more than 1,000 diverse participants - including victims and survivors - took part in dialogues, built partnerships and discussed practical cooperation to combat ongoing terrorist threats.

She paid tribute to the many victims and survivors of terrorism around the globe, pointing out that the annual International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism will be observed on 21 August. The UN is committed to promoting and protecting the rights and needs of victims and survivors, she said, adding: "The threat posed by Da'esh will continue to evolve - our collective response must evolve with it."

Carmen G. Cantor, Deputy Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, also briefed the Council. "Over the past six months, Da'esh and its affiliates have remained resilient and adaptive despite sustained counter-terrorism pressure," she said, citing the global scale of the threat.

Agreeing that Africa continues to bear a disproportionate share of the impact, she said developments in Iraq and Syria underscore the continued need for vigilance. "The threat landscape is being reshaped by new and emerging technologies," she warned, noting that terrorist groups continue to exploit social media platforms to disseminate propaganda, recruit supporters and mobilize resources.

"There are persistent gaps in addressing the nexus between terrorism and organized crime," she told Council members. In response, the UN has continued its support to Member States.

For example, she said, to address terrorists' increasing use and weaponization of unmanned aircraft systems, the Directorate continues to work with countries to prevent non-State actors from accessing such aircraft systems. Meanwhile, in the crucial area of information sharing, the Directorate is strengthening maritime security by building international databases and supporting better terrorist detection and disruption.

Emphasizing that "local context continues to shape the threat", she said Da'esh continues to exploit weak governance wherever it exists, and the growing link between terrorism and organized crime is another serious concern.

Africa Bears Brunt, Needs More Help

Following those briefings, Council members also took the floor to outline their views.

"[Da'esh]'s capacity for adaptation - decentralizing its operations and redirecting resources - requires a response that is equally agile, unified and supportive of African nations bearing the brunt of these threats," said Somalia's representative. His own country's experience demonstrates the effectiveness of an approach that pairs "deep, genuine national ownership" with international cooperation. However, prevention must remain the cornerstone of any collective strategy, with solutions targeting the drivers of radicalization - from poverty to unemployment to political instability.

The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo echoed that point, calling for increased support for African countries given the "persistent" threat posed by the group known as Islamic State West Africa Province. Meanwhile, Liberia's delegate pointed out that sub-Saharan Africa now bears more than half of all global terrorism fatalities. Terror groups in the Sahel "no longer seek merely to disrupt governance - they seek to replace it", he warned.

Pakistan's representative agreed that the threat posed by Da'esh - while different from past decades - remains serious. "Acting alone, no State can effectively confront the transnational threat of terrorism," he stressed, calling for stronger border management and better efforts to disrupt terrorist financing - including virtual assets and cryptocurrencies. Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, he said, an ever-more permissive environment has allowed terror groups to carry out attacks in Pakistan, "with active external support" from a neighbouring State.

Echoing some of those points, Bahrain's delegate demanded that Iran end its attacks against its peaceful neighbours, which are undermining regional security and stability. Warning that terrorist groups continue to exploit the most vulnerable, including young people, he called on the Council to update its sanctions list more regularly and to list all individuals and groups known to be linked to Da'esh and its affiliates.

Several speakers, including the representatives of Panama, Latvia, Colombia and Denmark - Council President for August - underscored the importance of strengthening support to the most-impacted regions and countries and addressing terrorists' increasingly sophisticated use of advanced digital technologies to sow chaos.

Continued Need for Vigilance in Syria

Meanwhile, the situation in Syria - where the regime of former President Bashar Al-Assad was overthrown in 2024, and a new Government has pledged renewed action against terrorist groups - was also a major topic of discussion.

The speakers for France and the United Kingdom praised Syria's success in combating Da'esh, with the former declaring that "a new political chapter presents an opportunity for greater security and stability". Continued vigilance is key given Syria's fragile political and security landscape, they stressed.

In that vein, China's representative recalled that, following the recent closure the Al-Hawl detention camp in north-west Syria, the whereabouts of numerous individuals associated with terrorist organizations remain unclear. "The international community should prioritize the repatriation and reintegration of foreign terrorist fighters and their families in order to prevent the emergence of new sources of instability," he stressed.

Greece's delegate also expressed alarm over the fate of those individuals unaccounted for in Syria, while calling for measures to strengthen maritime security and prioritize the humane repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration of those affected by terrorism - especially children.

Washington, D.C., Moscow Disagree over Counter-Terrorism Course of Action

Striking a different tone, the representative of the United States said her country recently released its new national counter-terrorism strategy, which identifies three priority threats - "narco-terrorists and transnational gangs, legacy Islamic terrorists and violent left-wing extremists". The country has designated 20 cartels and transnational crime groups operating in the Western Hemisphere as foreign terrorist organizations since January 2025, she said, declaring: "We will not allow the region to become a sanctuary for those who threaten our security."

Meanwhile, the representative of the Russian Federation cautioned that "international terrorism is nourished by States' double-standards". He pointed to a notable lack of international cooperation following the 2022 Nord Stream attacks, as well as in addressing Ukraine's "daily attacks" on civilians. "We do not support imposing on developing countries a narrow and sly concept of violent extremism, which is based on the dangerous fallacy that extremism poses a threat only when it takes a violent form," he said, warning that national counter-terrorism measures must account for each countries' unique "specificities".