Extremists are planning 'rash of pre-planned attacks', warns United Nations

The United Nations recently warned that the Islamic extremists are planning “rash of pre-planned attacks” when restrictions on movement imposed during the coronavirus pandemic are lifted. According to a report based on intelligence, the UN said that Islamic State will seek to “end its marginalisation” from the news with a wave of violence. The officials noted that the group recently even urged supporters to spend less time on social media to free up time to launch operations against its enemies. 

“Isis has enjoyed a captive audience, with so many people facing restrictions on movement and spending more time online. Threats may have accumulated during this period that remains undetected but could manifest in due course,” says the report. 

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Terrorist attacks low in ‘non-conflict zones’ 

The UN noted that the threat of terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists remains relatively low in “non-conflict zones”, such as Europe. However, they also added that the pandemic will provide significant opportunities to Islamic extremists by undermining local governments in parts of the world where they are already well-established. The report said that pandemic has weakened the hand of governments in conflict zones and its long-term impact on economies, government resources and allocations for international cooperation risks aggravating the threat further. 

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Amid the pandemic, the Islamist extremist groups have reacted in different ways, some seeking to exploit the global crisis to launch fresh attacks, with others concentrating primarily on bolstering local support. The UN noted that the responses have broadly followed existing strategic choices made by groups such as al-Qaida and ISIS. Further, they also noted that initially, ISIS had gloated over COVID-19 in its magazine, al-Naba, describing the virus as a punishment for “crusader nations” and calling for strikes against the west as it reeled from the pandemic. 

Al-Qaida, on the other hand, had issued six Pages of advice and commentary on coronavirus and had said that the arrival of the pandemic in the Muslim world was a consequence of “our own sins”. The UN said that ISIS continues to emphasise the “divine punishment of arrogance and unbelief” narrative regarding the pandemic and to exhort followers to attack the enemy while counter-terrorist defences are supposedly weakened. However, the officials added that the group “has not progressed as a practical proposition”. The report underlined the continuing resilience of Islamic militant groups but also said many have met with significant setbacks. 

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