MADRID – The Small Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS convened in Madrid this week to address the ongoing threats posed by the terrorist organization in Syria, particularly concerning detained fighters and their families held in camps in northeastern Syria.
According to a statement issued by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, the meeting focused on “risks related to civilians, detained ISIS fighters, and their families,” while reaffirming the coalition’s commitment to continuing counterterrorism efforts in the post-Assad phase.
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The meeting was co-chaired by Spain’s Director General for Foreign and Security Policy, Alberto Ucelay, and Acting U.S. Counterterrorism Coordinator Gregory LoGerfo. Spain’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Diego Martínez Belío, opened the session by stressing the importance of maintaining international momentum in countering ISIS threats.
Participants emphasized the need to “increased border security and information sharing and the return and repatriation of Syrians, Iraqis, and third country nationals to their communities and countries of origin”. The coalition also discussed efforts to prevent ISIS from conducting cross-border travel and planning external attacks.
A new coalition working group was announced to monitor terrorist movements more effectively. Delegates welcomed the group’s inaugural meeting, hosted by INTERPOL on May 27–28, and called for stronger coordination between foreign policy and international law enforcement agencies.
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The coalition urged member states in Africa’s Sahel region to launch regional initiatives aimed at disrupting ISIS networks and activities on the continent.
The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS was established in September 2014 and includes regional and international partners, including the U.S. and several Arab states. In Syria, the coalition has operated in partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), achieving a military defeat of ISIS in March 2019.
Despite this, Western intelligence reports warn that ISIS remains a threat, with sleeper cells still active in parts of Syria. All known ISIS detention centres and family camps are currently located within SDF-controlled territories in the northeast.
