"ISIL’s [Islamic State’s] attraction to potential recruits continues unabated — particularly among young people in both developed and developing states," Feltman stated. "It is estimated that around 30,000 foreign terrorist fighters, originating from over 100 member states and driven by a number of social, economic and geopolitical conditions, combined with individual circumstances, are actively engaged with ISIL and associated groups."
The statement was based on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s first report on the threat posed by Daesh to international peace and security that Security Council Resolution 2253 requested on December 17, 2015.
Feltman noted that Daesh’s global expansion strategy may be a reaction to territorial losses recently inflicted by international military efforts against the terror group.
"In this context, the swift expansion of ISIL’s [Islamic State’s] operations across West and North Africa, the Middle East, and South and South-East Asia; the increasing number of terrorist groups pledging allegiance to its cause; and the substantial flow of foreign terrorist fighters from around the world, are sources of major concern," he added.
Feltman reiterated the Secretary General’s call to unity and action in the face of the common threat, including in finding political solutions to the conflicts in Syria and Libya.
Daesh, is a designated terrorist group that is outlawed in the United States, Russia and numerous other countries. The infamous terror group has captured huge sways of territory in Iraq and Syria, where it proclaimed a caliphate.
