Egyptian Expert warns of ISIS resurgence amid absence of unified international strategy

Vladimir Voronkov, head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, affirmed that ISIS remains a genuine threat in Syria, where it exploits security vacuums to carry out clandestine operations and fuel sectarian tensions, taking advantage of the fragile conditions prevailing in the country following the takeover of large areas by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

In a briefing to the UN Security Council, Voronkov noted that despite the loss of prominent leaders in recent years, ISIS has managed to preserve its operational capacities through its local and regional networks. He emphasized that the group continues its activities in the Syrian desert in an attempt to rebuild its organizational structure and destabilize the region.

In this context, Egyptian expert on extremist organizations, Mounir Adeeb, stated that the international community still faces a profound challenge in dealing with ISIS.

He pointed out that the international coalition failed twice in this regard: first, when it required five full years to end ISIS’s control over Raqqa and Mosul after the 2014 declaration of the “caliphate”; and second, following the 2019 announcement of its defeat—yet by the end of 2025 the world still speaks of its enduring presence.

Adeeb added that the United Nations failed militarily, while some states were permitted to either support ISIS mercenaries or turn a blind eye to them—whether through direct backing or illicit economic dealings, such as the purchase of oil during the group’s occupation of vast territories.

He further noted that the current authorities in Syria have indirectly created a fertile environment for extremism, effectively forming a “bridge” that strengthens the potential return of ISIS and other radical groups. Adeeb also pointed to a relationship of “mutual accommodation” between ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and other Islamist extremist factions active in Syria.

Adeeb warned of the lack of genuine international will to establish a comprehensive strategy for confronting terrorist organizations. He stressed that the problem does not lie solely in combating ISIS as an “organization,” but also in addressing the states that support or instrumentalize it for political and security purposes.

He highlighted the absence of a unified international definition of terrorism, which allows for double standards in dealing with such groups. Some major powers, he said, perceive hardline religious organizations as “political movements” open to dialogue. Adeeb affirmed that the persistence of this ambiguity ensures that the threat posed by these groups will remain a serious danger to international peace and security.

He called for the creation of a dedicated international body under UN auspices tasked exclusively with addressing terrorist organizations and their escalating threat.

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ANHA