Caliphate’s Days Are Numbered. Long Live ISIS?
In 2015, three British schoolgirls left London for Turkey and then joined the Islamic State in Syria, illustrating the power of the extremist group that could radicalize gifted girls who danced to punk music.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama argued that it was the so-called caliphate that inspired many otherwise moderate Muslims into extremist groups. He made the destruction of ISIS his number one foreign policy priority since its existence lured thousands of Muslims from around the world.
Following years of sustained coalition attacks led by the U.S., ISIS is failing. The group has already lost about 65 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria, and its so-called caliphate continues to disintegrate.
As the Iraqi troops proceed with their offensive on west Mosul and the Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) moves to completely isolate ISIS’s self-proclaimed capital Raqqa, theories spring of what will be next for the group that is all but doomed on the battlefield.
Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi said on April 17 that ISIS initiated talks with another terror group, al-Qaeda, discussing a merger as the Iraqi military closes on its fighters in Mosul.
Mr. Allawi said he got the information about the discussions from local and regional contacts familiar with the situation. However, experts dismiss the idea of such an alliance.
Dr. Ahmet Yayla, former Turkish counter-terror chief, told The Globe Post that the merger wouldn’t happen.
“There are no indications [of it] in their publications or in their social media accounts,” Mr. Yayla, who tracked radical groups in Turkey for years, including ISIS, said. “I don’t see how they [can be] together after ISIS killed thousands of al-Qaeda members.”
In 2015, head of al-Qaeda Ayman al-Zawahiri declared war on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and denounced their brutal methods in crushing those they deem as enemies.
At present, according to Mr. Yayla, it is mostly ISIS that kills al-Qaeda fighters who they consider infidels or non-believers.
Professor James Gelvin from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) told The Globe Post that the merger between the two groups is “next to impossible.” At the same time, he noted that members could shift allegiance from one group to another.
“Al-Qaeda and ISIS have different ideologies, have different strategic interests, and are, in fact, competitors. There have been a number of times when the two groups have come to blows,” he said.
Mr. Gelvin thinks that ISIS’s caliphate is finished, and after the group loses Mosul, the next city to fall will be Raqqa. “But this doesn’t mean that ISIS as an ideology or even as an organization is finished,” he underscored.
When Mr. Obama assumed the presidency in 2009, he inherited an Iraq that was devastated after years of civil war and a daunting task in Afghanistan. To deliver his promise to wind down wars, he pushed for a troop surge in Afghanistan, with a goal to finish Taliban and al-Qaeda and get out of that country faster.
The war in Afghanistan didn’t turn out as he wanted and Taliban captured, even more, territory since it was ousted in 2001. The Obama administration, however, was successful in targeting al-Qaeda’s leadership, including the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. As the U.S. crushed the leadership of the radical group, it popped up elsewhere, particularly in Iraq and Arabian Peninsula.
Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria was al-Nusra Front in Syria, and it changed its name and distanced itself from al-Qaeda in the hope of receiving Western aid that never came. But what happened to al-Qaeda could be replicated in ISIS’s case too.
Mr. Gelvin said Islamic State will most likely turn to the insurgency, becoming a group like Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.
The other scenario is that some of its supporters “will continue to carry out terrorist operations in ISIS’s name for a while, until they realize the futility of it and simply melt back into society or find some other less dangerous criminal enterprise to involve themselves in,” Mr. Gelvin said.
Mr. Yayla thinks the remaining ISIS fighters will try to blend into the society after the battles for Mosul and Raqqa are over.
“They are already talking about it,” he said. “They are going to shave off their beards, cut their hair, and then come to the society, hide in different parts of the world, mainly in the Middle East and countries like Turkey and Libya. Based on where they are from, they will try to go back to their countries.”
Mr. Yayla suggested that after the defeat on the battlefield, ISIS will become a “real” terrorist organization.
“Now they are like a semi-conventional army. At least people who fight against them can see them as an army. But in the near future we are going to have a real terrorist organization inside the societies,” he stated.
As an actual terror group, ISIS will have more opportunities to conduct attacks in different countries, according to Mr. Yayla.
“The danger is going to be dispersed. Right now it is mostly in Syria and Iraq, and against the Iraqi and Syrian people. Once they are defeated, they are going to disperse… The threat is going to be moved from Syria and Iraq to other places,” he concluded.
A US defense official told reporters in March that some 15,000 ISIS operatives remain on the territory of Iraq and Syria. The official added that after their defeat in Mosul and Raqqa, Islamic State’s hard-core elements would likely revert to a low-level insurgency.
********
This article was possible thanks to your donations. Please keep supporting us here.
I enjoy the article
I like the article
I like it when people get together and share views. Great blog, continue the good work!
Great post.
Asking questions are in fact pleasant thing if you are not understanding anything completely, except this piece
of writing offers fastidious understanding yet.
I read this article completely about the difference of most up-to-date
and preceding technologies, it’s remarkable article.
It’s very straightforward to find out any matter on web as compared
to textbooks, as I found this post at this website.
I am curious to find out what blog platform you have been utilizing?
I’m experiencing some small security problems with my latest
website and I’d like to find something more safeguarded. Do you have any solutions?
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog
and wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts.
After all I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again very soon!
Thanks for the good writeup. It in reality was once
a amusement account it. Look advanced to more brought agreeable from
you! However, how can we be in contact?
I have read so many posts on the topic of the blogger lovers
but this paragraph is truly a good paragraph, keep it up.
Hi, I would like to subscribe for this blog to obtain hottest updates,
so where can i do it please help out.
Ahaa, its good dialogue regarding this paragraph at this place at this webpage, I have read all
that, so now me also commenting here.
I go to see day-to-day a few web sites and
websites to read posts, except this weblog presents feature based writing.
Fastidious respond in return of this difficulty with genuine
arguments and telling the whole thing about that.
Terrific article! That is the type of information that should
be shared around the net. Disgrace on the seek engines for no longer positioning this
post higher! Come on over and consult with my website .
Thanks =)
Today, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a
thirty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed
and she has 83 views. I know this is completely off topic but I
had to share it with someone!
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been conducting a
little research on this. And he in fact ordered me breakfast due
to the fact that I discovered it for him… lol.
So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time
to talk about this topic here on your website.
I’ve been exploring for a little bit for any high-quality articles or weblog posts in this sort of house .
Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this website.
Reading this information So i’m happy to convey that I have a very excellent uncanny feeling I found out just what I needed.
I so much undoubtedly will make sure to do not forget this website and give it a glance regularly.
I do not know if it’s just me or if perhaps everybody else
experiencing problems with your blog. It appears like some of the written text on your posts
are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening
to them as well? This might be a issue with my browser because I’ve had
this happen before. Kudos
Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new
to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking
and checking back frequently!
It is true that diamonds are the hardest substances
on the earth but they don’t seem to be indestructible.
This information is invaluable. Where can I find out more?
You are so interesting! I do not believe I’ve read something like this before.
So wonderful to discover another person with some original thoughts
on this subject. Really.. many thanks for starting this up.
This website is something that’s needed on the web, someone with a little originality!
I will be all bluster with no blus.
The basement floor provides spacious parking facility.
Jewellery is an exquisite factor. The choice of knickknack accessories
is a very personal affair.
The beads can be of different shapes. It
is location in a low-lease area so costs are low. Dooms like piece hanging with the earrings
are known as Jhumka.
My loss is their gain, and there were sufficient tools to
pay for your whole team.
Rosette, maker unknown, Tuscany, 530 BC. Victoria & Albert Museum, London. The development is the
colour! Sorry to take so lengthy getting again to you!
WE WILL.? They each shouted and so they ran to the bedroom bickering about who will get
to go first.
This is such a fun game and we had an ideal birthday Daddy.?
Larry added. ?Can we play ?What?s the best thing about God?
tomorrow too?? he begged his Mommy.
Very soon this web page will be famous amid all blog users,
due to it’s good content
Only now do we discover the caveat that when the evil-doer against the helpless
worker is Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s former Chief of Staff.
Either manner, your web site is the ultimate advertising instrument.
It’s important that you make it straightforward to make use of and interesting to your clients.
Consider, you will end up doing all of your bit for the environment too!
Wearing silver protect externally on the physique protects towards on a regular
basis germs and bacteria in addition to towards electromagnetic
radiation.
However, how about while you see a bit of jewelry that is so completely gorgeous that you must make it?
There are various stories much like this one,
through which folks will attest to the saving power of wearing medical identification jewellery or
tags.
My flip, my turn.? Larry stated eagerly wiggling to
get a chance to talk. ?I feel one of the best factor about God is
that he can beat up the devil because the satan is scary and imply and ugly and unhealthy and God can beat him up so the devil
can?t harm us like he did these demon stuffed people in Jesus day.
Cell Legends pits you towards different players in battles which might be relatively short.
Sonic and the other video games released with
Sega Endlessly come with online leaderboards and cloud saves as part of their fashionable makeover.
You simply can not shield your self or your funding of time and – should you choose cash – within the game.
Among the many new entries, we now have a physics-based mostly drawing recreation and a hover racer that’ll make you reminisce
about Wipeout on the unique PlayStation.
If you are not proud of this use of those cookies please overview our Privateness Coverage to learn the way they are often disabled.
I added a new list. As you’ll see it’s bigger than most of them. I hope you all have had a great week!
A common mistake amongst new gamers is the assumption that Cell
Legends: Bang Bang is all about getting kills.
Did you get pleasure from playing Dragon Age?
Coupled with the large four,000mAh battery and that PC-quality display you get
one of the best mobile experience for stream hours of Netflix or YouTube with out reaching in your
charging brick.
I hand feed my dragons their live meals and vegetables.
” Citrus Bearded “. By Dachiu Bearded Dragons.
There are, օf coursе, some detrimental factors to freelancing.
One vital point is that for those whо work as a freeⅼance pɑraleɡаl youll not be eligible for
the types of advantages that you would have in working for a law agеncy or a non-public attorney.
In case you feel that such “perks” as common medical
health insurance and different such benefits are
important, freelancing will not provide you with tһese
benefitѕ.
So, why is your bearded dragon’s mouth open?
This skill additionally relies on the age of the Dragon.
So, why is your bearded dragon’s mouth open?
Some bearded dragons can even attempt to conceal.
Dungeons and Dragons use cube rolls to determine play.
Hello there! I just wish to give you a big thumbs up for
your great info you have got right here on this post.
I am returning to your site for more soon.
But why is omega-3 fatty acids a champion for addressing high cholesterol levels and winning.
Unhealthy cholesterol conversely can cause plaque to develop for
the walls of the arteries, the industry common cause of coronary disease symptoms.
I was surprised to learn that I did not really move through a lot of ups and
downs.
We have now a lifetime membership and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
Lee ɑnd Larгy likｅd their ѕixth birthday party.
Regardless that thеy werе twіns, Mⲟmmy and Daddy always mɑde poѕitive
they each had a particular time. And with their birthdays coming in December, Mommy and Daddy alsօ aⅼl the time made positive thеir birthdаys
have been special despite tһe fact that Christmas was right across the corner.
The celebration was so enjoyable with a clown and cake
and songs and great presents from their friends and grandparents and uncle аnd aᥙnts.
It went by ѕo fast but eaгlier than theү knew it, everybody had gone
home and it was time to scrub up and prepare for Ьeⅾ.
Some bearded dragons will even attempt to disguise.
This isn’t the case with bearded dragons.
Try this assortment of 9 games like Dragon Age.
Some bearded dragons will also attempt to disguise.
Try this collection of 9 games like Dragon Age.
Numerology is beneficial to know compatibility in relationships Compatibility just isn’t essentially only between couples
seeking to get married, however for any relationship.
Try this collection of 9 games like Dragon Age.
Do this assortment of 9 video games like Dragon Age.
These are actually impressive ideas in regarding blogging.
You have touched some nice points here. Any way keep up wrinting.
I added a new list. As you’ll see it’s bigger than most of them. I hope you all have had a great week!
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Well written!
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for pokjer playing poker
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your
web site aand in accession capital to assert that I get actually enjoyed account yolur blog posts.
Anyway I’ll be subscribing to your augment and even I
achievement you access consistently quickly.
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was entirely right.
This post truly made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how
much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
I am regular visitor, how are you everybody? This post posted at this web site
is in fact pleasant.
You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be
really something which I think I would never understand.
It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post,
I will try to get the hang of it!
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it ;
) I’m going to come back yet again since i have book-marked it.
Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.
This article will assist the internet viewers for setting up
new blog or even a weblog from start to end.
Hello, Neat post. There’s an issue together with your
website in internet explorer, might check this?
IE nonetheless is the marketplace chief and a big element of folks will leave out
your magnificent writing due to this problem.
Have been taking little over a month.
Have actually been taking little over a month.
Wow! At last I got a webpage from where I be capable of genuinely obtain useful information concerning my
study and knowledge.
Hi there to all, how is all, I think every one is getting more from this website, and your views are fastidious designed for new viewers.
I like the helpful information you provide for your articles.
I’ll bookmark your blog and test once more here frequently.
I am moderately certain I will be told lots
of new stuff proper right here! Best of luck for the next!
Jetpack drive is complimentary to play endless gallery video game.
Hi there very cool web site!! Man .. Beautiful ..
Wonderful .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionally?
I am happy to find a lot of useful information right here in the publish, we want work out
extra techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing.
. . . . .
Very good article. I definitely love this website. Stick with it!
Very shortly this website will be famous amid
all blogging people, due to it’s nice content
Most definitely feeling this. Check out my spotify playlist – i imagine you will love it.
Thanks , I have just been searching for information approximately this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I
have found out so far. But, what concerning the bottom line?
Are you sure concerning the source?
I like the helpful information you provide in your articles.
I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently.
I’m quite sure I will learn many new stuff right here!
Good luck for the next!
通過水光療程抑制黑色素細胞生長的成分注射到真皮層，減少黑色素形成，淡化黑斑色素沉澱，從而達到美白祛斑的效果 療程特色 :可配搭多元化產品來量身訂做不同療程計算機化規格，操作方便，容易控制可調節進針深度，精準注射於目標的肌膚層 每針的注射劑量相等，達到均勻注射 一次平均5點注射，可縮短療程時間 採用31號細針頭，幾乎看不到入針點 降低疼痛、瘀血、腫脹及不適感 使用靈活度高，可複合式搭配針劑，量身訂製療程
whoah this blog is excellent i really like reading your articles.
Keep up the good work! You understand, many
individuals are looking round for this information, you can aid them
greatly.
This post is worth everyone’s attention. When can I
find out more?
It’s going to be ending of mine day, however before end I am reading this fantastic paragraph to increase my know-how.
Venus Viva™對所有皮膚類型都是安全的，並使用革命性的Nano Fractional Radio Frequency™(納米點陣射頻™）和Smart Scan™(智能掃描™）技術，通過選擇性真皮加熱，從而提供優異的治療效果。使用Nano Fractional RF™將能量透過表皮傳遞至真皮，從而產生熱量，並啟動膚膚的生理機制，重建膠原蛋白及刺激纖維母細胞，最終刺激導致組織重塑。功效:✔改善膚質✔肌膚緊緻✔減淡妊娠紋✔痤瘡及暗瘡疤痕✔減淡細紋及皺紋✔面部肌膚賦活再生 適合面部及頸部