United Nations experts said the close tie between Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, al-Qaida and their affiliates remains high in conflict zones in Africa and in Afghanistan, posing a higher threat in the regions and Europe.
U.N. experts said in a new report that the greatest threat within Afghanistan still comes from the Islamic State with its ability to project into the region and beyond, according to Africanews.
The experts pointed to a succession of attacks in neighboring Iran and Pakistan and threats in Central Asian nations.
In West Africa and the Sahel, the panel said, "violence and threat have escalated again" in conflict zones, raising concerns among U.N. member nations. The experts point to "a deficit in counterterrorism capabilities," which 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."