NATO's future, Iran-Israel ceasefire, and US political roundup
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Arab News
8 minutes ago
- Arab News
UN warns Daesh remains a major threat in Middle East despite leadership losses
NEW YORK CITY: Daesh remains an active and dangerous presence in the Middle East, the UN warned on Wednesday, as the group works to rebuild its operations in Syria and Iraq, even after the loss of senior leaders. Vladimir Voronkov, the UN's counterterrorism chief, told the Security Council that Daesh has maintained its operational capacity in the region and continues to exploit instability, especially in the Badia region of Syria and parts of the country under the control of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham. 'Daesh continues to exploit security gaps, engage in covert operations and incite sectarian tensions in Syria,' Voronkov said as he presented Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's 21st report on the threat posed by the terrorist organization. The group also remains active in Iraq, he added, where it seeks to destabilize local authorities and reclaim influence. The humanitarian and security situations in northeastern Syria remain 'deeply concerning,' Voronkov warned, particularly in the camps and detention facilities that hold suspected terrorists and their families. 'The secretary-general's concern about stockpiles of weapons falling into the hands of terrorists has, unfortunately, materialized,' he said. In Afghanistan, Daesh-Khorasan continues to pose one of the most serious terrorist threats to Central Asia and beyond, through ongoing attacks against civilians, minority groups and foreign nationals, while leveraging dissatisfaction with the de facto authorities. Despite the ongoing threats in the Middle East, Africa remains the region experiencing the highest intensity of Daesh-related activity, Voronkov said, with violence escalating in West Africa and the Sahel. There has been a resurgence of Daesh in the Greater Sahara, while Daesh-West Africa Province has emerged as a key source of propaganda that is attracting foreign fighters, primarily from within the region. In Libya, arrests have revealed the logistical and financial networks linked to the group and connected to the Sahel. In Somalia, a large-scale Daesh attack in Puntland early this year involving foreign fighters prompted a military counteroffensive that killed 200 militants and resulted in more than 150 arrests. 'Though weakened, Daesh still benefits from regional support networks,' Voronkov said. Assistant Secretary-General Natalia Gherman, executive director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee's Executive Directorate, or CTED, echoed the concerns. She noted that Daesh-Somalia's role as a global logistical hub has been growing recently, though counteroffensives had degraded some of its operational capabilities. Daesh continues to exploit instability in Africa, she added, where more than half of the world's terrorism-related fatalities now occur. In the Lake Chad Basin region, for example, the group has received foreign money, drones, and expertise on improvised explosive devices. Gherman also highlighted the growing use by Daesh of emerging technologies and financial innovations, as terrorist groups increasingly leverage encrypted platforms, artificial intelligence, and cross-border financial systems to raise funds, spread propaganda and recruit new members. In response to these evolving threats, CTED has visited countries across Europe and Africa, including Somalia, Chad, Cameroon, Hungary and Malta, to assess local capacities and provide tailored support. The EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility has helped implement legislative reforms and capacity building in countries such as Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and Tajikistan. Voronkov urged member states to invest more in long-term strategies for prevention, rather than focusing only on killing or capturing the leaders of terrorist groups. He said effective counterterrorism efforts must address the root causes of radicalization, while complying with the requirements of international law. He raised concerns in particular about detention camps in northeastern Syria, where tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, continue to be held in unsafe and undignified conditions, risking further radicalization. Gherman said that CTED is helping states address such challenges through the adoption of principles for tackling the use of drones, financial tech and artificial intelligence for terrorism purposes. Despite the geopolitical and resource-related constraints, both of the officials emphasized the need for sustained international collaboration on the issue. 'The persistence of the threat posed by Daesh, despite national and international efforts, underscores the urgency of sustained global counterterrorism cooperation,' said Voronkov.
Al Arabiya
37 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Former CIA director Burns calls Trump firings of US workers ‘a war on...expertise'
William Burns, former CIA director and veteran US diplomat, on Wednesday issued a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration's mass firings of federal workers, saying they are aimed at stifling dissenting views and will harm US security. 'Under the guise of reform, you all got caught in the crossfire of a retribution campaign - of a war on public service and expertise,' Burns wrote in a 'Letter to America's Discarded Public Servants' published in The Atlantic magazine. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Burns was CIA director under Democratic former President Joe Biden, and a foreign service officer. He served three Democratic and three Republican presidents. His career included stints as US ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary of State. Taking aim at US President Donald Trump's sweeping purge of federal workers, including State Department staff and US intelligence officers, Burns said that civil servants recognize the need for serious government reforms. 'But there is a smart way and a dumb way to tackle reform, a humane way and an intentionally traumatizing way,' he said. 'This is not about reform. It's about retribution. It's about breaking people and breaking institutions by sowing fear and mistrust throughout our government.' 'That's what autocrats do,' Burns said. 'They cow public servants into submission, and in doing so, they create a closed system that is free of opposing views and inconvenient concerns.' Burns cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'foolish decision' to launch his February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine as an example of how an absence of dissenting policy views led to 'catastrophic' results for the Kremlin. The threat to the US 'is not from an imaginary 'deep state' bent on' undermining Trump, he wrote, but 'a weak longer able to uphold the guardrails of our democracy or help the United States compete in an unforgiving world.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
37 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Says It Has Taken First Steps of Military Operation in Gaza City
Israel's military has taken the first steps of a planned operation to take over Gaza City, Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said on Wednesday. Following a clash with Hamas south of Khan Younis in the strip on Wednesday, he said: "We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organization." Defrin said troops had already begun circling the outskirts of Gaza City and Hamas was now a "battered and bruised" guerrilla force. "We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City," he said. Israel's military called up tens of thousands of reservists on Wednesday in preparation for the expected assault on Gaza City, as the Israeli government considered a new proposal for a ceasefire after nearly two years of war. The call-up signals Israel is pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza's biggest urban center despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians. But a military official briefing reporters said reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, an interval that gives mediators some time to bridge gaps between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel over truce terms. Israeli troops clashed on Wednesday with more than 15 Hamas fighters who emerged from tunnel shafts and attacked with gunfire and anti-tank missiles near Khan Younis, south of Gaza City, severely wounding one soldier and lightly wounding two others, an Israeli military official said. In a statement, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed carrying out a raid on Israeli troops southeast of Khan Younis and engaging Israeli troops at point-blank range. It said one fighter blew himself up among the soldiers, causing casualties, during an attack that lasted several hours.
