No region in the world is safe from terrorist attacks, UN says

The acting UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, Alexander Zuyev, has stated that today there is not a single region in the world that is not exposed to terrorist attacks.

He made the statement in an interview with TASS.

“Unfortunately, terrorist threats are transforming and changing, but they exist throughout the world, and today there is not a single region that is not exposed to terrorist attacks,” Zuyev said.

He identified West Africa and the Sahel, as well as the Middle East, as priority regions for the work of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office. Zuyev explained the particular focus on West Africa and the Sahel by the fact that in 2025 more than 50% of all deaths resulting from terrorist attacks worldwide occurred in that region.

Speaking about the Middle East, the acting UN Under-Secretary-General noted that the region had traditionally been at the center of attention — especially during the period when ISIS was gaining strength and controlling significant territories in Iraq and northern Syria.

“The situation there is now stabilizing to a greater or lesser degree, although terrorist attacks continue in both countries,” Zuyev explained.

The UN representative spoke about work with the Iraqi government, including the opening of an office in Baghdad. He also mentioned a meeting with the head of Syrian intelligence during the high-level week on counter-terrorism in New York.

“They are very concerned, because their situation is not only politically unstable, but also because terrorist threats remain,” the agency’s interlocutor noted.

Camps in Syria and Iraq

Zuyev pointed out that camps on the territory of Syria and Iraq hold citizens of dozens of countries, including people from Central Asia. According to him, some progress has been made in this area together with the governments of Central Asian countries: people have been held accountable, repatriated, socially rehabilitated, and reintegrated into society.

“This is certainly a positive development, but the process has not yet been fully completed,” he emphasized.

Zuyev also spoke about plans to discuss further steps in this direction with representatives of Central Asian countries in Moscow. Among the UN’s partners in this work he named the International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.