UN Report on the Threat Posed by the Islamic State

Last week, WaterISAC reported on some of the statements reportedly made by the United Nations in an advance copy of its latest report on the threat posed by the Islamic State to international peace and security. According to initial reporting, the document underscored that the Islamic State will continue to be a threat to the international community despite its military defeats and that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive and continues to lead the group, despite multiple reports of his death. Now available in its entirety, other significant observations in the report include that the Islamic State is “by far the most ambitious international terrorist group, and the one most likely to conduct a large-scale, complex attack in the near future” and that the group “retains an interest in…the use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials.” It also addresses concerns regarding foreign fighters leaving conflict zones, or prior returnees becoming active again on release from prison or for other reasons, as well as threats that may be posed by radicalized women and traumatized minors.