A senior UN official in the field of counter-terrorism has warned the UN Security Council that ISIS and its affiliates have expanded their activities and funding in various parts of Africa, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, resulting in a significant increase in attacks and civilian casualties. Vladimir Voronkov, the head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, highlighted the threat posed by ISIS in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, leading to heightened threat levels in Europe.
Voronkov confirmed that terrorism remains a major challenge for the international community, a challenge that no country can address alone. He emphasized that "to eliminate the terrorist threat, we need comprehensive and multilateral responses firmly rooted in political strategies, compliant with international law, and informed by an approach involving society and all governments."
The second danger relates to the resurgence of ISIS’s core, which claims responsibility for global ISIS attacks for propaganda purposes. Voronkov mentioned that in early January, ISIS launched a coordinated campaign across its self-declared "provinces," including increased operations in Iraq and Syria.
He called for ongoing efforts to combat terrorism to prevent the group from capitalizing on these gains. To this end, he underscored the need to address the "harsh conditions" in the camps and detention facilities in northeastern Syria and urged member states to intensify efforts to repatriate their citizens from these camps.
