THE terrorist threat from al-Qaida, the Islamic State group, and their affiliates remains high in conflict zones in Africa and Afghanistan — and threat levels have risen in some regions, including Europe, United Nations experts said in a new report. The panel of experts said in the 23-page account that the relationship between Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and al-Qaida remains close, and unnamed member states said that "the high concentration of terrorist groups" in the country is undermining the security situation in the region. The Islamic State group broke away from al-Qaida over a decade ago and attracted supporters from around the world. They pointed to "a deficit in counterterrorism capabilities," which the Islamic State and al-Qaida-affiliated groups are continuing to exploit. Across Europe, the experts said, "formal terrorist threat levels have risen ... following fatal attacks in late 2023 in France and Belgium, in addition to numerous non-lethal terrorist incidents and arrests in several European countries."

Source: Manila Times February 02, 2024 16:28 UTC