Al-Qaeda's global network remains "a dominant terror threat", posing more of a threat in some regions than the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), UN sanctions monitors said in a report seen by AFP on Wednesday (February 7th).
The report, sent to the UN Security Council, said Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) served as a communications hub for the group.
"Al-Qaeda affiliates remain the dominant terror threat in some regions, such as Somalia and Yemen, a fact demonstrated by a continuous stream of attacks and foiled operations," the report said.
In West Africa and South Asia, al-Qaeda-linked groups pose as serious a threat as ISIS affiliates who "remain unable to reach a dominant position", it said.
UN member-states see potential for linkups between al-Qaeda and ISIS, warning that in some regions this could be a new threat, the report said.
In Syria, fighters affiliated with the former al-Nusra Front (ANF) have been using "threats, violence and material incentives" to absorb smaller groups, it said.
