By Samah Abdel Fattah | 2025-02-24

Global security agencies are dismantling "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) recruitment networks, as the extremist group struggles to attract new members.

"ISIS's recruitment methods haven't evolved at all since the group's emergence," Ibn Al-Walid Center for Studies and Field Research New Media Department director Mazen Zaki told Al-Fassel.

"ISIS still relies primarily on social media to ensnare new recruits," he said, by communicating directly with potential recruits and pushing sympathizers to promote recruitment posts.

But this is a flawed strategy, he explained, as it "allows most security agencies worldwide to monitor any movements and deal with them quickly."

"Security agencies are using advanced systems for detecting any signals related to recruitment, financing and terrorist activities," Zaki said.

"The process has become easier through programs and algorithms that track specific phrases, trace them to their source and enable investigation," he added.

"Consequently, the group has become effectively besieged, and its capabilities for recruitment or obtaining funding are at their lowest levels."

These efforts have led to several high-profile arrests.

On February 11, a 29-year-old man pleaded guilty in a US court to attempting to provide material support to ISIS, the United States Attorney's Office said.

The man had openly discussed his plans through Facebook and encrypted messaging applications, and had made numerous social media posts supporting ISIS between May and October, including recruitment videos, it said.

He also had made or attempted to make financial transactions to support ISIS-affiliated camps, before his December 4 arrest at an airport while trying to travel overseas to join the group, it added.

The investigation was a result of the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Meanwhile, authorities in Georgia charged two individuals with suspected ISIS connections with illegal acquisition and possession of explosives and ammunition, discovering an ISIS flag during home searches, AFP reported.

"Joining a foreign terrorist organization and assisting in terrorist activities carries a penalty of up to 17 years in prison," the country's prosecutors said February 21.

ISIS under fire

"ISIS is currently in a very difficult position," military expert Wael Abdul Muttalib told Al-Fassel.

"After losing its traditional strongholds, it shifted to operating through sleeper cells and lone wolves, but their effectiveness has become very limited," he said.

"This is due to ongoing security operations, especially in Syria, which are supported by the US-led international coalition to combat terrorism and its partners on the ground like the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)."

"This comprehensive approach greatly limits the capabilities of sleeper cells by cutting off logistical supply routes related to money, supplies, weapons and ammunition," he said.