Extremist jihadi groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda pose more of risk now than when the so-called “caliphate” of IS commanded vast swathes of Iraq and Syria, a leading Australian security think tank has warned.

And it has questioned the effectiveness of legislation to block foreign fighters from returning home, saying that by allowing them to come back, the government can focus on their rehabilitation rather than letting them loose on “weak and fragile” countries where they can wreak harm.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been seen for the first time in five years alive and well in latest Islamic State video. Credit:ninevms

“Despite having no territory and having lost many of their leaders, both al-Qaeda and ISIL [another term for IS] continue to pose a threat to the maintenance of international peace and security” the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says.

“In fact, one could argue that they pose more of a threat today as the structure of the groups has moved from integrated to fragmented, making command and control more tenuous.”