The Global Anti-Daesh Coalition was established in 2014 to address the terrorist threat posed by Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
It currently has 90 members, reflecting the broad international consensus characterising the fight against Daesh. The Coalition aims to weaken Daesh’s economic and financial infrastructure, including by countering its sources of funding; prevent the cross-border movements of Foreign Terrorist Fighters; support the stabilization of areas liberated from the Islamic State control and the restoration of infrastructure; and curb the group’s propaganda.
Italy is among the countries contributing most to the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh, proactively supporting its initiatives, also at operational level, including the training of security forces in Iraq.
Confirming its driving role, since 2021 Italy has contributed to strengthening the Coalition’s commitment to countering the Daesh threat in Africa, encouraging the direct involvement of African partners. The intensification of the terrorist threat in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region, is now one of Daesh’s main areas of territorial expansion.
Italy is a major contributor to the NATO Mission in Iraq (NMI), a non-combat operation dedicated to assisting and training local forces. The goal is to help Iraq strengthen institutions and security forces to ensure stability, combat terrorism, and prevent the resurgence of Daesh.
Foreign Fighters
The Coalition is committed to countering the flow of terrorists attempting to cross borders. By strengthening cooperation between security forces within the Coalition, we ensure the sharing of information gathered by Coalition forces in the fight against terrorism, thus strengthening internal security within States. We are committed to promoting greater coordination between intelligence services and law enforcement agencies to monitor and prevent the flow of foreign fighters. This is because we believe that improving information sharing and cooperation helps prevent radicalization and reduce the likelihood of terrorist attacks.
Stabilization
The stabilization of Iraq and Syria is a key step towards defeating Daesh and encouraging the reconstruction of all liberated areas.
Italy proactively supports the Global Coalition’s efforts to strengthen the Iraqi government’s military and security forces.
Through the Carabinieri Action Group, Italy is also a key partner in training Iraqi police forces to ensure security and the rule of law in the liberated areas.
Training activities promoted by Italy have focused on stability-focused patrolling, including a course on law and order; police methods and procedures; law enforcement courses; high-risk operations courses; courses for female police officers; improvised explosive device (C-IED) detection; community-based police activities; advanced police training; counterterrorism; cultural heritage protection; riot control and crowd control methods; preliminary personal protection procedures; and crime scene investigation courses.
The courses are attended by local police forces, the federal police, SWAT, border police, highway police, Kurdish police, and others.
Communication
ISIS maintains a significant ability to spread propaganda and extremist content, using digital platforms and social networks that enable it to reach a very young audience.
This is the reason why one of the Coalition’s goals is to effectively counter Daesh propaganda, curbing its dissemination and influence online.
Italy is endeavouring to make the Internet a safe space and to strengthen community resilience against radicalization. This commitment also includes being vigilant against new recruitment methods, such as the misuse of emerging technologies.
Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Attacking Daesh’s Finances
Over time the Coalition has developed significant abilities to identify and disrupt Daesh’s sources of income and financial networks.
Building on the strategy to counter Daesh financing, enshrined in the Rome Action Plan for the CIFG adopted in March 2015, Italy has worked jointly with its Global Coalition partners to identify and prevent Daesh’s access to regional and international financial systems; curb Daesh’s global financial networks and its geographical branches; strengthen the fight against international money laundering and the measures for countering the financing of terrorism. In this regard, enhancing the exchange of financial intelligence within the Coalition is essential to improving coordination with our partners regarding technical assistance provided to countries most exposed to the Daesh threat.
At the national level, stricter laws have been adopted in recent years to counter terrorist financing, giving judicial authorities more effective and incisive tools. Besides enacting new criminal legislation aimed at tightening controls on those who finance terrorist groups – or provide them with any other type of support – Italy has adopted restrictive measures against self-trained jihadists and foreign fighters. The Financial Security Committee, a dedicated inter-agency body, has been tasked with overseeing the entire process, ensuring continuous and timely compliance with current legislation and increasing intelligence sharing.