UAE Urges UN to Stop Using "Islamic State" Term

  • Publish date: Wednesday، 10 August 2022
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In a statement to the UN Security Council in New York, Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, Deputy Permanent Representative and Chargé d’Affaires, urged all United Nations organisations to stop using the term "Islamic State" when referring to the group. He said they must not allow them and other groups to hijack a religion of tolerance and give credence to their pretences - there is nothing Islamic about terrorism.

In charting the group's expansion across Iraq, Syria and through areas of Africa that until recently had been largely spared from attacks, UN counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov attributed their success in part to a decentralised structure focused around a “general directorate of provinces” and associated "offices".

These operate in both Iraq and Syria, as well as outside the core conflict zone – notably in Afghanistan, Somalia and the Lake Chad Basin. 

Providing an overview of vulnerabilities around the world, Mr. Voronkov said that the border between Iraq and Syria remains highly vulnerable, with an estimated 10,000 fighters operating in the area. 

In April, the group launched a global campaign to avenge senior leaders killed in counter-terrorism operations.

While the number of attacks claimed or attributed to local affiliates has decreased in Afghanistan, since the Taliban assumed control last year, its presence has expanded into the north-east and east of the country.