Eighteenth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat

Summary

This eighteenth strategic-level report of the Secretary-General assesses the persistent and evolving threat posed by ISIL (Da'esh) to international peace and security, alongside comprehensive United Nations efforts to support Member States' counter-terrorism responses during the reporting period. The assessment reveals that Da'esh and its affiliates maintain a high-level threat, demonstrating resilience through decentralized structures, leadership succession—including the announcement of Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the new leader following leadership attrition—and adaptation despite sustained counter-terrorism pressure. While military capabilities remain degraded in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, the risk of resurgence persists, particularly if counter-terrorism pressure eases or detained fighters return to the battlefield. The report highlights that the threat continues to be most acute in conflict zones, especially West Africa and the Sahel, where the situation is deteriorating and becoming more complex. Da'esh affiliates—including Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM)—have established localized détentes, enabling territorial expansion, increased attacks, and exploitation of intercommunal tensions and porous borders. In Central and Southern Africa, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama'a (ASWJ) remain resilient despite regional counter-terrorism operations. East Africa's threat landscape remains relatively unchanged, with Da'esh affiliates retaining presence in Somalia. The report also notes the external threat projection of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K) from Afghanistan, with increased concerns among Member States about terrorist travel and planned attacks in Europe. The humanitarian situation in northeast Syria remains dire, with over 48,500 individuals—including more than 31,600 foreign nationals and a majority children—held in camps and detention facilities under precarious conditions. Repatriation efforts by Member States repatriated at least 2,385 individuals during the reporting period, yet progress remains slow. The United Nations continued supporting Member States through enhanced border management, counter-terrorism financing initiatives, prosecution and investigation support, rehabilitation and reintegration programs, and victim-centered approaches addressing sexual and gender-based violence. The report emphasizes the limitations of security-centered approaches and calls for comprehensive, whole-of-government, whole-of-society, human rights-compliant, and gender-responsive prevention strategies. It urges accelerated repatriation of camp populations, strengthened regional and international cooperation, and increased investment in addressing root causes of violent extremism to mitigate the risk of Da'esh resurgence and expansion, particularly across Africa's unstable regions.

Keywords

ISIL, Da'esh, threat, UN Secretary-General, international security