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Despite their defeat, an estimated 20,000-30,000 Daesh fighters are still in Syria and Iraq, according to a UN report published Monday.
The report on Daesh and Al-Qaeda, which was presented to the Security Council, said a smaller number of Daesh fighters had made their way to Afghanistan, where there are now 3,500-4,500 fighters. There are also 3,000-4,000 militants in Libya.
The report further noted that although Daesh was militarily defeated in 2017, it was able to regroup early this year. Within Syria and Iraq, it has been able to revert its structure to that of a "covert network".
While the Daesh threat may have been eliminated on the surface, the UN said there are still "sleeper cells" throughout Iraq, where it is able to launch attacks without controlling any territory.
Iraqi forces have uncovered a network of tunnels dug by the Daesh terrorist group south of Mosul in northern Iraq, according to a federal police officer on Monday.Federal police forces raided suspected Daesh positions near the town of Otaiba al-Sharqiya, 60 kilometers south of Mosul, Major Abdul Wahid al-Ansari told Anadolu Agency.“Five underground tunnels were destroyed and eight explosive devices and belts were seized and defused,” he said.He, however, said no militant had been arrested during the raid.Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled over operations backed by the U.S.-led International Alliance. However, from time to time, Iraqi officials announce operations against Daesh-affiliated "sleeper cells" in certain parts of the country.Suspects in Jordan attack support Daesh: MinisterTwin bomb blast kills two in Iraq's Mosul
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Meanwhile in Somalia, Yemen and South Asia, Al-Qaeda has been showing resiliency compared to Daesh. In Yemen, there are 6,000-7,000 Al-Qaeda fighters compared to 250-500 Daesh fighters.
The Al-Shabab terrorist organization, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, is the strongest force in Somalia and has launched numerous attacks in and around the capital of Mogadishu.
Al-Qaeda is also active in the Sahel region of Africa on the border between Niger and Mali via its affiliate group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, according to the UN.