Islamic State group commands thousands of members in Syria, Iraq: Fighters pose threat, says UN experts

United Nations experts say thousands of members of the Islamic State group still exist in Syria and Iraq, and the group's fighters pose a terrorist threat in Afghanistan.

But the panel said in a report to the U.N. Security Council that "the overall situation is dynamic," and despite significant losses in the group's leadership and reduced activity in Syria and Iraq, the risk of its resurgence remains.

"The group has adapted its strategy, embedding itself with local populations, and has exercised caution in choosing battles that are likely to result in limited losses, while rebuilding and recruiting from camps in the northeast of the Syrian Arab Republic and from vulnerable communities, including in neighboring countries," the experts said.