Terrorist Exploitation of Armed Conflicts for Digital Content

Adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2006, the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) provided Member States with a common framework for addressing terrorism across four pillars. Since then, the way terrorist and violent extremist actors (TVEs) operate has changed considerably, with digital platforms becoming a central tool for spreading their messages, recruiting followers, and advancing their goals. At the same time, prolonged armed conflicts—as highlighted in Pillar One of the GCTS—persist as one of many conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. Taken together, this convergence of factors further complicates the global security landscape and counter-terrorism efforts, as TVEs use the online ecosystem to amplify and weaponize conflict dynamics for their purposes.

Against this backdrop, the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism and Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) New York Office set out to examine how terrorist and violent extremist actors are exploiting armed conflicts in Afghanistan, the Sahel, and Ukraine to generate and disseminate digital content, and assesses the structural, political, and technological factors shaping these dynamics across different regional contexts. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the GCTS, the report also aims to provide important inputs into the ninth review of the GCTS this year and raise awareness among relevant stakeholders about the potential content and harms emanating from particular conflict zones, while contributing to broader discussions on the future of counter-terrorism cooperation.

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