Counter-Terrorism: Briefing on the Secretary-General’s Strategic-Level Report on ISIL/Da’esh
Tomorrow morning (4 February), the Security Council will convene for a briefing on the Secretary-General’s 22nd biannual strategic-level report on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) to international peace and security. The anticipated briefers are Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Alexandre Zouev and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Natalia Gherman. Chris Elmore, the UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is expected to chair the meeting.
The Secretary-General’s report (S/2026/57), which was circulated to Council members on 31 January, says that the threat posed by ISIL has increased steadily since the previous report was issued in August 2025, becoming more complex and intensifying in multiple theatres. It notes that ISIL continues to exploit armed conflict, political instability, and weak governance and stresses that the group remains a threat to human rights and development, as well as to international peace and security more broadly.
The situation is particularly serious in Africa. The report says that ISIL affiliates, including the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are asserting control over vast areas in West Africa and the Sahel, leading to significant casualties, large-scale displacements, loss of livelihoods, and ongoing interruptions of humanitarian assistance. In the Lake Chad Basin, ISWAP became more prominent, entrenching its positions across the central and southern areas of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria and intensifying raids against isolated communities in northern Cameroon and western Chad. On 25 December 2025, the US announced that it had carried out an airstrike targeting ISIL operations in Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria, in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) has remained active in Niger, targeting security forces and civilians and clashing with Al-Qaida affiliate Jama‘a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), which the report describes as the dominant group in the Sahel. ISIL also claimed responsibility for a 28 January attack on Niger’s main airport in Niamey, which was reportedly repelled by Nigerien armed forces with assistance from Russian troops. Given the seriousness of the situation in the region, the Secretary-General’s report highlights the need for regional member states to forge unified responses to challenges they face. In this regard, it stresses the importance of preserving the cohesion of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional security coalition comprising forces from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria that is mandated to combat Boko Haram and ISWAP. Niger announced its withdrawal from the MNJTF in March 2025.
In Somalia, the threat posed by ISIL was significantly reduced as a result of counter-terrorism operations conducted by national security forces working with regional and international partners. ISIL in Somalia is estimated to have approximately 200-300 fighters, many of whom were killed or arrested during counter-terrorism operations. In late January, Somalia and the US carried out a series of airstrikes targeting ISIL’s Somali affiliate. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC), the ISIL-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has continued to pose a substantial threat, while ISIL has increased its propaganda coverage of attacks in both the DRC and Mozambique. According to media reports, militants linked to ISIL killed at least 22 civilians in a village in eastern DRC on 25 January.
The Secretary-General’s report also highlights the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K), noting that the affiliate is active in northern Afghanistan and in areas near the border with Pakistan. According to the report, ISIL-K has retained potent operational capability and demonstrated continuing intent to conduct operations both regionally and internationally. On 19 January, ISIL-K carried out an attack in Kabul, which killed six Afghans and one Chinese national. Council members condemned the attack in a 21 January press statement, which was penned by China.
In the Middle East, ISIL has continued to operate across Syria, including by carrying out attacks in the north and north-east parts of the country. In mid-December 2025, Syrian and US officials said that ISIL was responsible for an attack by a lone gunman in Palmyra in central Syria that killed three US personnel. In response, the US has carried out a series of airstrikes in Syria targeting ISIL infrastructure, weapons sites, and personnel, including a strike that killed a “leader affiliated with Al-Qaida who had direct ties to an [ISIL] terrorist” responsible for the mid-December 2025 attack. The Secretary-General’s report estimates that ISIL has maintained approximately 3,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria and says that the group has sought to incite sectarian tensions in an effort to undermine the Syrian authorities. It also says that the group has attempted to assassinate multiple Syrian officials, including interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, while noting that the interim Syrian government joined the US-led coalition against ISIL in November 2025. On 24 December 2025, Syrian officials claimed that they had captured a key ISIL leader near Damascus.
The humanitarian and human rights situation in the detention camps holding ISIL fighters and women and children associated with them in northeastern Syria remains a pressing concern. According to the Secretary-General’s report, over 25,740 people, more than 60 percent of whom are children, are currently living in the Hawl and Rawj camps. It notes that humanitarian assistance has been severely limited by reductions in foreign aid and says that the living conditions in the camps have remained dire, with limited services, inadequate shelter, and high risks of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence. Reiterating previous concerns raised by the Secretary-General, the report warns that the camps are fertile grounds for exploitation and radicalisation by terrorist groups and repeats the call for member states with nationals in the camps to facilitate their safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation.
In late January, a bout of fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and government fighters ultimately led the SDF to hand control of the Hawl camp and a prison in Al-Shaddadi city holding ISIL fighters to government authorities. Following the handover, the two sides blamed each other for the escape of at least 120 ISIL fighters from the prison, many of whom were reportedly recaptured. At a 22 January Council briefing on Syria, Director of the Crisis Response Division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Edem Wosornu said that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had taken over management of the Hawl camp and is coordinating with the interim government to resume humanitarian assistance to the detainees.
At the time of writing, members of the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee were considering a request from Syria regarding the removal of the Al-Nusrah Front from the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida sanctions list. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an armed group that was led by Sharaa and which spearheaded an offensive that led to the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, is referred to as an alias for the Al-Nusrah Front on the list.
At tomorrow’s meeting, the briefers may note that ISIL and its affiliates have continued to enhance their technological capabilities. The Secretary-General’s report describes a discernible increase in the use of new technologies by ISIL, including commercial satellite communication systems, artificial intelligence (AI) tools, digital currencies, and uncrewed aircraft systems.
ISIL’s ongoing resilience and adaptability in the face of continuing counter-terrorism pressure is a major concern for the Council, particularly in Africa. Its activities in Syria are also an issue, as is the situation in detention facilities holding ISIL fighters and the women and children associated with them, particularly given the ongoing instability in the country. ISIL’s use of emerging technologies is another challenge for the Council, particularly as it continues to evolve. In the face of these issues, Council members are expected to be united in condemning ISIL and recognising the need to manage the evolving threat that it poses, although differences persist over approaches to counter-terrorism, particularly regarding the appropriate balance between security measures and human rights.
During tomorrow’s meeting, several Council members are likely to emphasise the importance of whole-of-society approaches to counter-terrorism that respect human rights, align with international law, and address the root causes of violence and terrorism. Some members are also likely to express concern regarding the situation in detention facilities in Syria and echo the Secretary-General’s call for repatriation. Members may express concern about ISIL’s evolving use of technology, particularly digital currencies, and note the importance of international cooperation regarding these issues. Members may also commend the work of relevant UN entities, including CTED, UNOCT, and the Monitoring Team assisting the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. Some participants may also look ahead to the ninth review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which will take place this year.
