A meeting of senior diplomatic officials from the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Daesh was held today in Madrid, hosted by the Kingdom of Spain. Spanish Deputy Minister of Foreign and Global Affairs Diego Martínez Belío emphasized the importance of countering ISIS/Daesh globally during the opening remarks.
The single-day meeting, co-chaired by Director General of Foreign and Security Policy Alberto Ucelay and United States Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Gregory D. LoGerfo, reaffirmed Coalition members' commitment to enhance collective efforts to disrupt foreign terrorist travel, operational planning, financial support networks, and recruitment efforts.
The members addressed the ISIS/Daesh security risks in Syria, including those associated with detained ISIS/Daesh fighters and civilians in displaced persons camps in the northeast. They affirmed the Coalition's continuing commitment to counter ISIS/Daesh in post-Assad Syria, including through increased border security and information sharing, as well as the return and repatriation of Syrians, Iraqis, and third country nationals to their communities and countries of origin.
Prioritizing disruption of ISIS/Daesh travel and its capability to carry out external attacks, the members welcomed the creation of the Coalition's Terrorist Travel Working Group and its inaugural meeting hosted by INTERPOL. They also welcomed the incorporation of lines of effort from the United Kingdom and Türkiye-led ISIS-Khorasan Province Diplomatic Grouping to the Coalition.
The newest member of the Coalition, Uzbekistan, was lauded for its invaluable leadership in addressing the ISIS-Khorasan threat before it reaches the United States, Europe, and other regions. African members urged regional initiatives to counter ISIS/Daesh affiliates in sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria addressing areas of cooperation with the Coalition to disrupt financial support networks and counter terrorist travel among sub-regions on the continent.
To confront changing ISIS/Daesh operations and stymie recruitment efforts, the Coalition assessed how to mitigate emerging threats from the use of the internet and to understand and leverage new technologies for counter-terrorist purposes. The delegations also endorsed the necessary re-structure of the D-ISIS Coalition in order to effectively counter the ISIS/Daesh threat.
The proposed structure includes revising working group mechanisms to counter terrorist travel, disrupt terrorist financial networks, prevent terrorist recruitment, and regionally focused groups for Syria and Iraq, Central Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. This will enable maximum effectiveness in the efforts to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS/Daesh.