ISIS has not been vanquished, warns Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt

‘Islamic State has NOT been vanquished’: Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warns ISIS terrorists are far from beaten as he reveals 180 British jihadis have been killed

  • Foreign Secretary uses speech at UN to warn the world that ISIS is still a threat
  • He says that of the 900 British-linked ISIS fighters, 40% returned, 20% are dead
  • Mr Hunt warns that ISIS is now a network which has influence around the world 

ISIS has ‘not been vanquished’ despite 180 British-linked jihadis having been killed in the Middle East, Jeremy Hunt has warned 

The Foreign Secretary said the terror group has been driven from almost all of its territory in Syria and Iraq but has responded by evolving into a covert terrorist network with tentacles around the world.

Mr Hunt also repeated United Nations estimates that around 20,000 ISIS fighters remain in Syria and Iraq, with citizens of many countries among them.

ISIS has not been vanquished and has morphed into a global network, Jeremy Hunt warned

He said around 900 people with links to the UK travelled to fight in Syria and Iraq, telling the UN Security Council in New York: ‘About 40% returned to the UK in the early days of Daesh’s (ISIS’s) so-called caliphate and some 20% are believed dead. The rest are still in Iraq, Syria or elsewhere.’

Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, Mr Hunt said: ‘The point I wish to emphasise today is Daesh has not been vanquished and the root causes of its emergence have yet to be resolved.

‘Britain shares the assessment of the secretary-general’s report that Daesh is responding to the loss of territory by evolving into a covert terrorist network, with branches as far apart as Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen.’

Mr Hunt also urged other nations to ‘press on’ with military action against ISIS and renew the focus on prevention by addressing the root causes which led to the emergence of the extremist group.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt spoke about the terror group at the United Nations yesterday

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt spoke about the terror group at the United Nations yesterday

He said the UN has a ‘vital role in the struggle against Daesh’, adding the security council should be willing to consider further action to ‘counter the use of the internet by terrorists for propaganda and fundraising’.

Mr Hunt also said the UK aims to identify anyone at risk of radicalisation and try to reintegrate them into society, adding ‘prevention rather than prosecution after a crime has been committed’ has ‘turned more than 500 people away from terrorism’, in a reference to the controversial Prevent programme.

The Foreign Secretary went on: ‘The key to success is partnership between many nations and we mustn’t lose sight of the importance of those partnerships, even as Daesh loses its grip on Syria and Iraq.’

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