Attachments
I. Introduction
1. In adopting its resolution 2253 (2015), the Security Council expressed its determination to address the threat posed to international peace and security by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, hereinafter referred to as “Da’esh”) and associated individuals and groups and requested that the Secretary-General provide an initial strategic-level report on the threat, followed by updates every four months. In its resolution 2734 (2024), the Council requested that the Secretary-General continue to provide, every six months, strategic-level reports that demonstrate and reflect the gravity of the threat posed by Da’esh to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat, particularly that reflect the impact of these efforts. It further requested that the latest biannual report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team pursuant to resolutions 1526 (2004) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities be annexed to the present report.
2. The present report is the twentieth such report. It was prepared by the Office of Counter-Terrorism, with the input of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and in close collaboration with the Monitoring Team and other United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact entities.
3. During the reporting period, the threat posed to international peace and security by Da’esh remained undiminished. Da’esh continued to maintain a reduced pace of activity in Iraq. In the Syrian Arab Republic, there was a risk of the group exploiting security vacuums after the fall of the Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad on 8 December. Da’esh and its affiliates continued to increase their focus on activities in Africa, seeking to expand territorial control. Islamic State in Iraq and the LevantKhorasan (ISIL-K) (QDe.161) continued to pose the predominant terrorist threat in Afghanistan, the region and beyond. The United Nations continued to support Member States in countering the threat posed by Da’esh, including in their efforts to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and relevant Security Council resolutions.