UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 4 — The threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) has increased in the past few months, a UN official said Wednesday. The IS continued to recruit foreign terrorist fighters and to enhance the use of new and emerging technologies, Alexandre Zouev, acting under-secretary-general of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, told the Security Council in a briefing.
The IS has also been able to maintain access to funding streams through opportunistic fundraising, unlawful taxation, and kidnapping for ransom, said Zouev.
The IS and its affiliates continued to expand their presence in parts of Africa, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel, he said.
“Their efforts and demonstrated capacity to control territory are deepening regional instability and further weakening the capacity of national authorities to address interconnected security, human rights, and development challenges.”
In the Middle East, the IS remains active in Iraq and Syria, with continued attacks and renewed efforts to destabilize local authorities, said Zouev.
In Syria, the security situation remains very fragile, with the IS continuing to exploit governance vacuums and incite sectarian tensions.
The humanitarian situation in the camps in the northeast of the country remains dire, with thousands of individuals, predominantly women and children, subjected to persistent human rights violations and restricted access to water, food, health care and education.
Zouev said it is essential for UN member states to strengthen collaboration with the United Nations and to promote the responsible use of new technologies for counter-terrorism, in compliance with international law.
This must include efforts to counter the financing of terrorism, particularly the misuse of virtual assets, through measures that are risk-based and proportionate.
The intensification of the threat posed by the IS and its affiliates underscores the imperative to sustain global cooperation on counter-terrorism.
The United Nations remains committed to providing targeted capacity-building and tailored technical assistance wherever it is requested, said Zouev. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
