During my first week of school Mrs. McElroy kicked off one of her classes by asking us, her students, about the situation in the Middle East and ISIS. To her surprise our knowledge of the terrorist group was spotty and very limited. I too knew very little about the group, prior to research, but America has become extensively involved with the terrorist group and the situation pertains to each and every American, even students at Prep. ISIS even claims to have members present in New York, right across the River from Grand and Warren. The terrorists have targeted and killed Americans in a depraved, sadistic manner. As students we will inherit these issues and it is important to extensively understand the situation at hand.
What is ISIS and where did it come from?
ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is also referred to as ISIL(The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), but at its origins was just a small faction that held similar ideas to other terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda. The groups founder and leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed by a United States airstrike in 2006, and Abu Ayyub al-Masri, steps into the leadership position, changing the groups name to ISI(Islamic State in Iraq). During the Syrian Civil War ISIS played a role in aiding the anti-government rebels by sending fighters and weapons. Once the United States withdrew from Iraq in 2013, ISIS began seizing control of north and eastern Iraq. In June 2014, ISIS captured Iraq’s second largest city Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the meantime, despite leading the group throughout its conquest of Iraq, is officially named the groups caliph( religious and political leader who descends from Muhammad) on June 30, 2014.
What are their motives? Who is their enemy and who is their ally?
ISIS’s goal is to create an Islamic State by reclaiming Muslim homelands. They have targeted anyone who they believe to be against their cause or as they refer to them: non-believers. Although they have a special hatred for Westerners(Europeans and Americans), they have still violently, and brutally killed untraceable number of Muslim and Christian citizens of Iraq and Syria. Their tactics are decisive, effective, and ruthless. They invade cities and villages, preferably by surprise, then kill and destroy the most they possibly can, and leave before they can suffer major casualties. ISIS’s methods are so barbaric and appalling that al-Qaeda has even condemned their actions and publicly disaffiliated itself with the Iraqi militants.
Recent Activity: Beheadings, airstrikes, and foreign presence.
Beginning on August 19th ISIS has released three execution videos on YouTube. The two American victims were two Americans, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, two British men, Alan Henning and David Haines, and a countless number of those perceived to be against ISIS’s regime( includes a Christian Priest). The murders were blamed both on President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister, David Cameron , by ISIS for their political stances that impeded the terrorists actions. ISIS has done a lot of recruiting through social media and also have attracted a lot of spotlight from the news media. The use of twitter and other social media mediums has allowed them to spread their concepts and violent extremism to a far wider audience. Their hope is to gain support from individuals in Western countries and have them enact whatever damage they can upon non-believers in their midst. Although American airstrikes have intensified and even moved across the Iraqi border to Syria with some success, the looming threat and presence of ISIS members seems to be a problem far from a resolution.