UN envoy warns terrorism is ‘resurging’ with attacks by Islamic State extremists

FILE – A motorist passes by a flag of the Islamic State group in central Rawah, 175 miles (281 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, on July 22, 2014 (File Image/AP)

The top UN envoy for Syria told the Security Council on Monday that the threat of terrorism is “resurging” with attacks by Islamic State extremists set to double this year, endangering civilians already facing a “protracted state of displacement and dire humanitarian conditions”.

UN special envoy Geir Pedersen said Syria is “riddled with armed actors, listed terrorist groups, foreign armies and front-lines” 13 years after president Bashar Assad’s crackdown on peaceful protests against his government turned to civil war.