The world has changed in recent months. From fears of World War 3 to a global lockdown on a magnitude never seen before, 2020 has posed challenges of an unprecedented scale.

In this edition of our quarterly counter-terrorism report, we explore how the Islamic State is well placed to exploit the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East. The group has a burgeoning presence in Pakistan, while the current strength, capability and objectives of groups aligned with al-Qaeda, such as al-Shabaab, Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are reviewed. Iran avoided getting into direct military conflict with the US after the killing of Commander Qassem Soleimani, but is the IRGC ready to conduct a retributive cyber-attack?

The world may be in state of flux, but counter-terrorism issues remain as pertinent as ever.