The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations are being affected by the rise of terrorism and radicalism which in turn has been caused by the creation of ISIS state in Iraq and Syria in mid-2014. The group’s existence in Iraq and Syria is inciting many Gulf civilians to travel to Syria to take part in the battle against al-Assad or to serve as local fundraisers for the organization.

Last year, Senior officials of the United States and the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called their Working Group on Counterterrorism at the GCC’s headquarters in Riyadh in February. The Working Group confirmed the longstanding partnership between the United States and the member states of the GCC and shared decisiveness to contribute to regional security and stability, under the framework of the GCC-U.S. Strategic Partnership.

 The United States and GCC member states examined the range of terrorist threats to the Middle East and other regions, including South and Central Asia and Africa. The participants indicated that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, or ethnic group.  The participants reaffirmed the November 2021 and February 2023 reports of the U.S.-GCC Iran Working Group, again criticising Iran’s malign behaviour through proxies such as Hizballah, as well as those in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.  

Iran has used Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and sponsored terrorist and other armed groups to conduct hundreds of episodes in the region. The United States and GCC member states affirmed that Iran’s backing of terrorist militias and armed groups across the region and the use of unmanned aircraft systems endangers regional security and stability. Participants took note that the US and GCC members have already declared that diplomacy remains the preferred way to handle Iran’s destabilizing policies.

The United States and GCC member states affirmed that to decrease the risk of ISIS/Da’esh re-emerging in Syria and Iraq, more joint action should be encouraged globally to ensure that a practical and sustainable solution is executed for individuals currently located in camps and detention facilities in northeast Syria that could include secure repatriation, rehabilitation, reintegration, and prosecution, as appropriate.  

The United States and GCC member states highlighted the need for civilian-led efforts, including stabilization assistance, countering terrorist financing, and opposing ISIS narratives, in Syria and Iraq to continue. The United States and GCC member states also highlighted the need to continue efforts to improve the Government of Iraq’s counterterrorism capabilities and reforms.

The US and GCC member states stressed the significance of strengthening joint action to collectively address terrorist threats by contrasting the financing of terrorism and strengthening resilience in the face of terrorism. They further determined to hold subsequent meetings of this working group to discuss these and other issues.

The United States and GCC member states accommodated opportunities for further cooperation under the auspices of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, including upcoming working and concentrate group meetings on countering ISIS financing and ISIS messaging, preventing foreign terrorist fighter travel, and implementing stabilization lines of effort in Syria and Iraq.