Since January, Idlib has been administered by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is led by extremists from Syria’s former al-Qaeda affiliate.

The Chinese envoy to the conflict in Syria, Xie Xiaoyan voiced on Tuesday his country’s growing concern over the reemergence of terrorist organizations across Syria, mainly the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Xie was reported by the Al Arabiya Arabic channel website as urging the international community to take into account those concerns as the war-torn country faces the terrorists’ threats once again.

Meeting with the UN’s Special Envoy to Syria

The envoy’s remarks came on the sideline of a meeting with the UN’s special envoy to Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, in Geneva, the Al Arabiya’s English-language website reported.

“There is now a danger of terrorist organizations like ISIS being revived, we see some signs in some of the places,” he told reporters following a meeting with Pederson. He was quoted as urging the international community to pay attention.

ISIS had maintained control over Syria and Iraq back in 2014 by means of their proclaimed “caliphate.” Yet, military offensives against them curbed it and restored many parts of Syria.

The Chinese high-ranking official’s visit to Geneva came in the backdrop of a new military offensive by President Bashar al-Assad’s administration against terrorist elements in the Idlib province northwest of the country, which is the last major stronghold for Jihadists.

The U.N. had warned that an assault on Idlib could spark a humanitarian disaster across the targeted region. Since 2011, the Idlib region has been a destination for those escaping government-led forces’ deployment in other areas of the country. Those who have already escaped are now numbered to be in the hundreds of thousands.

Humanitarian Fallout Called ‘Very Complicated’

Xie also described the humanitarian fallout as “very complicated.” The Chinese official said, “So the fight against terrorism needs to be continued. They need to be finished. The international community should pay attention to the early warning.”

Since January, Idlib has been administered by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is led by extremists from Syria’s former al-Qaeda affiliate.

Since 2011, the Arab Republic of Syria, home to nearly 19 million residents, has lived through a civil war that began after a series of mass protests sprang up, demanding social and economic reforms.

The war has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands, while an estimated five million or more have fled the country.

Over the past few years, Russia has provided logistic support to the Syrian regime and has engaged in battles alongside the Syrian army against armed opposition groups across the Arab country.