ISIS reorganizes its ranks in North Africa through scattered shadow networks: how?
Despite losing most of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria, ISIS continues to demonstrate a notable ability to reorganize its ranks, particularly in North Africa.
Recent movements by the group indicate that it has shifted to a different strategy from the one it previously adopted. It now focuses on covert operations carried out by small, dispersed cells that allow it to take advantage of fragile political and security conditions in certain countries, without requiring a state structure or conventional territorial base.
This shift highlights the group’s ability to adapt to international and regional pressure, making it a persistent and multidimensional threat.
According to a report published by Al-Bawaba News, ISIS has begun rebuilding its networks by forming independent cells across various North African countries. These cells operate almost independently from the central leadership.
Security experts estimate that the group’s fighters in the region may number around 1,200, distributed across small groups. Some of these units are capable of moving and carrying out operations without referring to the central command, which makes it extremely difficult for security agencies to track or dismantle them completely.
The report also notes that the group is no longer seeking to seize large territories as it once did. Instead, it focuses on covert influence, relying on local chaos and conflicts, while exploiting weak state institutions and poverty to recruit and increase its presence.
The report further explains that ISIS relies on digital “shadow networks” to direct its media campaigns and recruitment efforts. It uses unmonitored platforms, anonymous websites, and encryption technologies that help conceal funding sources and communication channels among its cells.
This new method gives the group greater capacity to expand and regenerate itself continuously, despite military and security pressure. It also creates an ongoing challenge for regional states and the international community.
In parallel, experts confirm that North Africa’s geographic and political landscape provides ISIS with a favorable environment for regrouping. Desert areas and border zones between Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria particularly enable the establishment of hidden bases that local governments struggle to detect or fully dismantle.
Experts add that regional and international intelligence cooperation remains the most crucial factor in containing the group’s threat and dismantling its networks before they evolve into a major danger for the region’s security and stability.
