The international coalition against Daesh /ISIS has revamped its efforts against ISIS during recent months and the Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS, held an in-person meeting on Monday in Rome, Italy. The meeting was called upon by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio and US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. During the meeting, the Ministers reaffirmed their determination to continue the fight against Daesh/ISIS, and to create conditions for the enduring defeat of the terrorist group, which remains the Coalition’s sole purpose, through comprehensive, coordinated, and multifaceted efforts. The Coalition Ministers expressed their resolve to enhance the cooperation across all Coalition lines of effort in order to ensure that Daesh/ISIS Core in Iraq and Syria, and its affiliates and networks around the world are unable to reconstitute any territorial enclave or continue to threaten our homelands, people, and interests.
According to reports, Ministers expressed concerns over continuation in Daesh/ISIS activities and its ability to rebuild its networks and capabilities to target security forces and civilians in areas in Iraq and Syria where the Coalition is less active, requiring strong vigilance and coordinated action among the participants. The meeting approved the adequate resources to sustain Coalition and genuine partner forces’ efforts against Daesh/ISIS, and significant stabilization support, both to address the drivers that make communities vulnerable to recruitment by Daesh/ISIS and related violent ideological groups, as well as to provide support to liberated areas to safeguard our collective security interest.
The 83 members global coalition was formed in September 2014 with the aim to defeat the menace of Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria but around the globe by curbing its financing, economic and military infrastructure, recruitment and flow of foreign fighters across the globe and social media campaigns etc. The coalition successfully dismantled the Daesh military infrastructure in the Middle East region however it keeps a significant physical presence in Afghanistan. According to reports, more than 500 ISIS-K fighters are present in Eastern provinces of Afghanistan. After US withdrawal from Afghanistan the military campaign against Daesh/ISIS-K would likely suffer a setback. Analysts are hinting at the possibilities of resurgence of militant groups because Afghan Defence Forces and Taliban would be engaging with each other and Daesh will have sufficient time and space to get its stronghold in the areas of its choice in days to come. However, without any exception, the remnants of Daesh/ ISIS are still present in our societies in shape of sleeper cells, sympathizers, and radicalized segments of the society impressed by its Jihadi philosophy. There is a need for continuous efforts to uncover and hit the Daesh’s sleeper cells and block its online recruitment campaign around the globe. In fact, the phenomenon of Daesh/ ISIS is not limited to the Middle East region, Afghanistan, Africa and Asian but it has also attracted mentally ill/ radicalized citizens of European and North American countries. Therefore, the terrorist activities by Daesh’s lone wolves in Europe and America cannot be ruled out completely in future.
Therefore, it is pertinent to mention that the manifesto of the global coalition to defeat Daesh/ISIS had not been accomplished so far, because the nature and location of the threat has changed but its philosophy and physical rudiments are still present in different parts of the world. If the global coalition will not act against Daesh/ISIS-K in Afghanistan right now it will transform into a bigger threat in Af-Pak region than it was in the Middle East region during the past.
