MADRID — Senior diplomats from the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS met in Madrid on Tuesday, reaffirming their commitment to dismantling the extremist group’s global networks, from Syria to sub-Saharan Africa, and introducing a new strategy to better address evolving threats.
The gathering, hosted by the Kingdom of Spain, brought together officials from dozens of countries, including the United States. The single-day meeting was co-chaired by Spain’s Director General for Foreign and Security Policy, Alberto Ucelay, and Gregory D. LoGerfo, the United States’ Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism.
In a joint statement, the United States and Spain said the coalition’s members discussed intensifying efforts to curb ISIS’s operational planning, recruitment, foreign fighter movement and financial support structures. Special emphasis was placed on northeastern Syria, where thousands of detained ISIS fighters and displaced civilians remain in camps that continue to pose significant security risks.
Coalition members also reaffirmed support for increased border security, expanded intelligence sharing and the repatriation of ISIS-linked individuals to their home countries, particularly those from Syria, Iraq and other third countries.
As part of its evolving strategy, the coalition announced the creation of a Terrorist Travel Working Group, which held its inaugural meeting at INTERPOL headquarters in late May. The group aims to better align international law enforcement and counterterrorism policies.
The coalition also welcomed Uzbekistan as its newest member and recognized its efforts in addressing threats posed by ISIS’s affiliate in Central Asia, known as ISIS-Khorasan. The addition of the U.K. and Türkiye-led ISIS-K Diplomatic Grouping to the coalition’s lines of effort was similarly applauded.
African members of the coalition, including Nigeria, urged greater regional collaboration to counter the growing influence of ISIS affiliates in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigerian officials discussed steps to disrupt financial networks and stem terrorist movements across borders in West and Central Africa.
Officials also addressed the threat of online radicalization and examined how new technologies could be leveraged to counter extremist propaganda and recruitment, particularly among diaspora communities.
In a significant organizational shift, coalition members endorsed a restructuring of the group’s working model, introducing regionally focused task forces for Syria and Iraq, Central Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. New initiatives will also target terrorist financing, recruitment, and foreign fighter travel.
The reorganization, officials said, is intended to make the coalition more agile and effective in confronting what they described as a persistently adaptive enemy.
