UN Experts: ISIS Remains a Global Threat

United Nations experts say that despite the defeat of the Islamic State group in Iraq, Syria, and southern Philippines, the group continues to be a "significant and evolving threat" to the world. According to a report from these experts, which was presented to members of the Security Council on Tuesday, February 6, the Islamic State group, although it has lost the ability to capture new territories or maintain control over its areas, still pays special attention to external attacks. The UN experts emphasized that in the future, the Islamic State will focus on forming smaller groups consisting of individuals willing to fight or carry out attacks. According to the UN experts, the Islamic State now operates like a global network without a top-down hierarchy, with minimal direct oversight from leadership over affiliated groups, and some of its current members are also willing to cooperate with Al-Qaeda for new attacks. The report states that since the forces of the Islamic State are now in the form of less visible networks and cells that operate with a degree of autonomy, the fight against this extremist group has entered a new phase. The UN experts have called for security cooperation to identify the financial networks and affiliated forces of the Islamic State. The Islamic State was able to quickly take control of large parts of western Iraq, especially the city of Mosul, in 2014. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, declared a caliphate in this city. This caliphate, which included Syria and Iraq, was severely weakened in July of this year with the loss of Mosul. Since 2014, the United States, leading a coalition of Western and regional countries, has carried out extensive airstrikes against this group. The Islamic State has suffered heavy defeats in the past year and lost most of its territories in Iraq and Syria.