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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Islamic State extremists exploit instability in Africa and Syria, UN experts say
Islamic State extremists are exploiting instability in Africa and Syria and remain a significant threat in Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe, U.N. counterterrorism experts said Wednesday. The militant group is now using advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, and social media, which poses a new challenge, the experts told a U.N. Security Council meeting. The Islamic State group declared a self-styled caliphate in a large swath of Syria and Iraq that it seized in 2014. It was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year battle that left tens of thousands of people dead and cities in ruins, but its sleeper cells remain in both countries and it has affiliates and supporters in many other countries. The U.N. has seen a resurgence of activity by the Islamic State in the Sahel — in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — and in West Africa the group has emerged 'as a prolific producer of terrorist propaganda and attracted foreign terrorist fighters, primarily from within the region,' said Vladimir Voronkov, who heads the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism. He said arrests in Libya have revealed logistics and financing networks with connections to IS in the Sahel. In Somalia, Voronkov said, a large-scale IS attack was countered by Somali security forces and some 200 IS fighters were killed and over 150 arrested. But he said despite the losses IS still benefits from regional support networks and remains a threat. In northcentral Africa's Lake Chad Basin region, the Islamic State is "increasingly receiving foreign material and human support to conduct its operations, including money, drones and expertise on improvised explosive devices,' said Natalia Gherman, who heads the executive directorate of the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Committee. 'Its ability to adapt and exploit instability continues to pose significant challenges, particularly in parts of Africa,' she said. 'The continent bears over half the world's fatalities from terrorist attacks.' In the Middle East, Voronkov said IS is active in Iraq and Syria, where it is trying to restore its operations in the northwest Badia desert region and renew effort to destabilize local authorities. He said the militants are exploiting security gaps, conducting covert operations and inciting sectarian tensions in Syria. In Afghanistan, the Islamic State group's Khorasan affiliate 'continues to represent one of the most serious threats to Central Asia and beyond,' Voronkov said, citing its targeting of civilians, minority groups and foreign nationals. Gherman added that IS-Khorasan is using 'propaganda tactics and online campaigns' to try to recruit and fundraise in Central Asia and Europe. She called for innovative responses to the Islamic State group's use of artificial intelligence and social media for recruitment, fundraising and propaganda. 'Although AI is being harnessed to amplify the group's reach and impact, it also holds significant potential for states to enhance the detection, prevention and disruption of terrorist activities,' Gherman said. Elisa De Anda Madrazo, president of the Financial Action Task Force, which researches how terrorism is financed, said a major change is that 'Digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps and crowdfunding systems are increasingly being abused for terrorist financing.'
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
Senior ISIS member killed in US military operation in Syria, official says
ATMEH, Syria, Aug 20 (Reuters) - A pre-dawn U.S. military raid in northwestern Syria early on Wednesday targeted and killed a senior member of the Islamic State group, a U.S. official told Reuters. It was the second known raid in northern Syria by U.S. troops since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December. The Islamist-led government that replaced him has pledged to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State and is part of an anti-ISIS alliance that includes the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group. The U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the raid killed a senior ISIS member who was seen as a candidate to be the leader of ISIS in Syria. No U.S. troops were killed or injured in the raid, the official added. A Syrian security source and Syria's state-owned Al-Ikhbariya said the target was killed as he tried to escape. Another Syrian source said the target was an Iraqi national and was married to a French national. It was not immediately clear what happened to his wife. The Pentagon did not immediately have any public comment on the reports. The operation began at around 2 a.m. (1100 GMT), according to the Syrian security sources and neighbours in the town of Atmeh, in Idlib province. Helicopters and drones provided air cover, one Syrian security source and residents said. Local Syrian forces set up a cordon around the neighbourhood, but U.S. forces conducted the actual raid, the second security source said. Abdelqader al-Sheikh, a neighbour, said he was up late with his son and heard a noise in the yard next door. "I called out, 'Who are you?' and they started speaking to me in English, telling me to put my hands up," Sheikh told Reuters. He said the armed forces stayed on the roofs of surrounding houses for the next two hours and that he could hear someone nearby speaking Arabic in an Iraqi accent. In July, the Pentagon said its forces had conducted a raid in Aleppo province resulting in the death of a senior Islamic State leader and his two adult Islamic State-affiliated sons. Idlib has been a hiding spot for senior Islamic State figures for years. U.S. forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the village of Barisha in Idlib province in 2019 and his successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, in Atmeh in 2022.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Reuters
Sustainable Switch: Severe droughts hit Syria, Turkey and Serbia
This is an excerpt of the Sustainable Switch newsletter, where we make sense of companies and governments grappling with climate change, diversity, and human rights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here. Hello, Syria, Turkey, Serbia and Hungary are struggling with severe drought conditions, with a lack of rainfall caused by extreme heat hitting their agricultural and energy production. Syria is facing a potential food crisis after the worst drought in 36 years slashed wheat production by around 40%, squeezing the country's cash-strapped government, which has been unable to secure large-scale purchases. Over in Turkey, a drought in the northwestern province of Tekirdag has left the area's main dams without potable water, straining infrastructure and leaving some homes without water for weeks, due to a sharp drop in precipitation in the country this year. Elsewhere in the mountains of southeastern Serbia, a prolonged drought and sweltering heat are taking their toll on villagers, livestock and crops with animals starting to die. Meanwhile, farmers in southern Hungary are grappling with increasingly severe drought as climate change cuts crop yields and reduces groundwater levels, with some considering relocating or alternative employment. Syria's historic drought Around three million Syrians could face severe hunger, the United Nations' World Food Programme told Reuters. Over half of the population of about 25.6 million is currently food insecure, it added. In a June report, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that Syria faced a wheat shortfall of 2.73 million metric tons this year, or enough to feed around 16 million people for a year. Wheat is Syria's most important crop and supports a state-subsidized bread program - a vital part of everyday life. While Syria consumes around four million tons of wheat annually, domestic production is expected to fall to around 1.2 million tons this year, down 40% from last year, according to FAO figures. "This has been the worst year ever since I started farming," said Nazih Altarsha, whose family has owned six hectares of land in Homs governorate since 1960. Reuters spoke to a Syrian official, three traders, three aid workers and two industry sources with direct knowledge of wheat procurement efforts, who said more imports and financing were needed to alleviate the impending shortage. Turkey's critical water shortage Authorities say drought is a critical issue in Turkey, with several provinces warning of limited fresh water supply this summer. Various areas in Izmir, Turkey's third-most populous province, have experienced frequent water cuts this month, while the municipality in the western province of Usak was told over the weekend it would have access to water just six hours a day, with the main water reservoir depleted. Rainfall slumped 71% in July across the country from a year ago, according to Turkey's Meteorological Service. The water level in Tekirdag's Naip Dam, which has not seen any rainfall in June and July, fell to zero percent in August. That has forced authorities to find alternatives like delivering irrigation water for domestic use and building a pump system for delivery into urban areas. Mehmet Ali Sismanlar, head of Tekirdag's Water and Sewerage Administration (TESKI), said rainfall in Tekirdag has reduced dramatically over the past decade, and severe drought over the last two years has spurred frequent water cuts in some areas this summer. Serbia and Hungary's scorching heat At Serbia's Suva Planina (Dry Mountain), owners who take their cows and horses for summer grazing said the springs dried up too early this year. Temperatures in Serbia on Tuesday stood around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) with several wildfires burning. Lack of rainfall since May has caused water shortages, wildfires and disruption to agriculture across the Western Balkans, comprising Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. The vast flatland – situated between the Tisza and the Danube rivers in Hungary – produces corn, grain, and sunflower seed, but scientists warn that rising temperatures and insufficient rainfall are threatening its agricultural viability. ESG LENS In keeping with the topic of extreme weather, residents in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are bracing for Hurricane Erin, a dangerous Category 4 storm and the first of the Atlantic season, after it strengthened over the weekend while sweeping past Caribbean islands. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Erin was likely to maintain its force as a dangerous major hurricane through the middle of the week but avoid contact with Bermuda or the U.S. coast. Today's Sustainable Switch was edited by Emelia Sithole-Matarise Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also subscribe here.
