Rising Threat of Islamic State Amid Digital Age

Islamic State extremists are seizing opportunities amid instability in Africa and Syria, threatening security in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Europe, according to UN counterterrorism experts.

Advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, and social media present new challenges, experts informed a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

The Islamic State once claimed a caliphate across Syria and Iraq in 2014, defeated in Iraq by 2017, yet sleeper cells linger with widespread affiliates and supporters. A resurgence is noted in the Sahel and West Africa, producing terrorist propaganda and attracting fighters, said Vladimir Voronkov, UN Office of Counter-Terrorism.

Arrests in Libya expose logistics and financing networks tying back to the Sahel. In Somalia, a significant attack by IS was thwarted, yet support networks persist, maintaining the threat. The Lake Chad Basin sees growing foreign support through funds, drones, and IED expertise, noted Natalia Gherman of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee.

Gherman emphasized the adaptability and exploitation of instability by IS, with Africa facing over half the world's terrorist attack fatalities. Meanwhile, in Iraq and Syria, efforts to rebuild operations and destabilize authorities persist. In Afghanistan, IS-Khorasan remains a dire threat to Central Asia, targeting diverse demographics.

Further highlighting the problem, IS-Khorasan continues pursuit of recruitment and fundraising through propaganda and online campaigns in Central Asia and Europe.

The call for innovative responses against IS's use of AI and social media is critical, noted Gherman, suggesting that AI's potential could also be a tool for counteracting terrorism.

Elisa De Anda Madrazo, from the Financial Action Task Force, commented on the technological shift, noting digital platforms are increasingly misused to finance terrorism.

(With inputs from agencies.)