The variety of terrorist assaults elevated worldwide in 2020 partially because of the unfold of Islamic State (IS) branches and al-Qaeda associates, the US State Division stated in a report launched Thursday.
The Nation Studies on Terrorism supplied yearly to Congress stated the variety of terrorist assaults and ensuing fatalities elevated by greater than 10% final yr in comparison with 2019.
“The terrorism menace we face has develop into extra geographically diffuse,” John Godfrey, appearing coordinator for counterterrorism and particular envoy to the World Coalition to Defeat ISIS, instructed reporters on a name Thursday.
Godfrey described IS, which the report stated maintains a low-level insurgency in Iraq and Syria, as a “decided and harmful enemy” regardless of its territorial defeat.
“We’re working to construct on our positive aspects by sustaining stress on [IS] remnants in Iraq and Syria, and to disclaim its world community and branches the power to successfully function,” he stated.
Of specific concern, Godfrey stated, is the terrorist group’s concentrate on branches outdoors of Iraq and Syria, which brought about extra fatalities in 2020 than in any earlier yr.
IS-affiliated assaults in West Africa killed almost 5,000 individuals in 2020 in comparison with 2,700 individuals in 2017, in response to the report. In Mozambique alone, an estimated 1,500 individuals died in assaults performed by the group’s native department. Final week, the US-led coalition introduced the formation of the Africa Focus Group to assist handle the IS menace throughout the continent.
The Biden administration has urged overseas governments to repatriate, rehabilitate and prosecute their nationals held in northeast Syria, the place the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces maintain 10,000 suspected IS fighters and their households. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described the humanitarian state of affairs as “untenable” and a US watchdog report has warned of the potential for prison breaks.
“The state of affairs in northeast Syria with respect to overseas terrorist fighters is totally one of many key issues for US and coalition companions,” Godfrey stated, including that america has referred to as on European nations to take the “accountable method” and repatriate their nationals.
As of Dec. 2021, america has repatriated 30 US residents, of them 13 adults and 17 kids, Godfrey stated. Among the many adults, the Division of Justice has charged 10 with terrorism-related crimes.
Syrians and Iraqis make up the majority of the fighters held in SDF-run prisons and displacement camps housing the fighters’ households. The report stated the federal government of Iraq “made no vital efforts” to facilitate the repatriation of Iraqi ladies and youngsters from Syria in 2020.
