ISIS might be on the brink of extinction, but its army of foreign fighters will continue to pose a threat – especially in European cities, the Atlantic reported.
The magazine noted the jihadists' finances have been cut in half over the past six months, its information operations "are in tatters" and its territory is shrinking as the result of an offensive by U.S. forces and their allies.
But its foreign fighters, which at their peak were thought to number in the tens of thousands from dozens of countries – are still a threat, according to the report.
The "hardcore fighters," especially those within the inner circle of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his top commanders, will likely remain in Iraq and Syria, Atlantic writers Colin Clarke and Amarnath Amarasingam contend.
"As the terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman has suggested, if the fortunes of ISIS continue to decline, there may be a group of jihadists that see rapprochement with al-Qaida as the only option to continue their struggle," they wrote.
Another group of fighters that cannot return to their home countries could form a "cohort of stateless jihandists who will travel abroad in search of the next jihadi theater," the writers argue.
But a third group might try to return to their country of origin – and it is feared members of this group could attempt to resuscitate dormant networks, recruit new members or conducts lone-wolf style attacks.
"While the [European Union] is distracted with the fallout from Brexit and Russian meddling in national elections, militant jihadists will be streaming back into Europe, some of them determined to strike," the writers assert.
"And while transnational terrorists will undoubtedly flock to Libya and Yemen, the real challenge will be preventing further attacks around the globe, including in major European cities."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.