The Deadly Efficiency of ISIS and How It Grew on The Global Stage

Anybody who has heard of ISIS knows how dangerous and vicious they can be. ISIS has claimed many horrific attacks and killed many innocent people. ISIS is arguably one of the most notorious militant groups ever and have been causing havoc all throughout the Middles East. Since the fall of Syria, ISIS rose to power by taking advantage of a weakened Syrian government while it was going through the civil war. ISIS is the most dangerous militant group that carries out dangerous attacks on Western countries. ISIS was originally part of Osama bin Laden’s radical group called al Qaeda. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who is the founder of the radical group ISIS decided to branch off and do his own thing. Zarqawi was killed during a U.S. airstrike in 2006 and al-Masri became the new leader. Then Masri died when the United States invaded Iraq, so another leader came in to power Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Baghdadi wanted to use a brutal tactic where they carry out heinous acts and video tape it to show to the world. One of the most widely publicized acts of violence ISIS did was the beheading of a U.S. journalist James Foley, then a month later ISIS committed another horrible act by beheading a second U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff. In the response to the ISIS violence, many countries have put in effort to defeat the terrorist group. In all, ISIS has been around since 2006 and wants to enforce their own laws and believe that they can create their own state.

What was ISIS’s goal?

ISIS main goal was to create an Islamic state and implement sharia laws. Sharia laws are a strict religious code based on historic Islamic rules and practices. Since this was ISIS’s main goal, they started to take territory in Syria and Iraq. To accomplish this goal, the group decided to join the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad where it was easier to obtain weapons. Although they were against the Syrian government, the book The Rise of ISIS states “that ISIS only targeted 13% of the Syrian government”. Aleppo and Raqqa both big cities in Syria were seized by ISIS in a matter of months, those weapons that were taken from the rebellion helped ISIS take control of these big cities. Also, the main element that helped ISIS capture these cities was the ongoing civil war at the time against the Syrian government. According to the book The Rise of ISIS, it states that “ISIS has shocked observers by the speed of its takeover of large amounts of Iraqi territory”. This source shows that it was a surprise that ISIS has token so much territory in a short period of time. Taking these cities affected many families in those areas and it killed many innocent people. Remaining in power and expanding is the main goal for this terrorist group.

How long did ISIS keep control of their territory and how did they do it?

ISIS had control of Aleppo, Mosul, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor for four years. The main reason that helped them keep control of these big cities was recruitment. ISIS targeted the youth in Syria because of the Syrian war and how schools and mosques were falling apart. Most of these young people are manipulated by other ISIS fighters that having radical views can benefit them through the Syrian war. Since ISIS had access to schools and mosques, it was easier for the group to recruit young people. The group wasn’t only targeting kids, they also targeted adults especially from the West. There were many people from countries like the U.S., United Kingdom, and France that have joined ISIS. Having all these recruitments helps ISIS keep expanding and less likely to fall because of all the support they receive. Another reason why ISIS was able to stay in control for a long period of time is because they had leverage. Meaning ISIS seized control of the city Deir ez-Zor which is filled with oil. Having control of these oil fields can create money for ISIS which ends up being spent on weapons. According to some reports, ISIS has been selling oil ranging between $20 and $40 per barrel. Some people have estimated that ISIS has been making millions a month just on oil. Having this much cash helps the militant group have leverage, which is key to keeping territory in Syria and Iraq.

So, who did this radical group target?

ISIS has usually targeted the west, meaning United States, United Kingdom, Spain, etc. One main reason they hate the West is because of their involvement in the Middle East and claim they have torn apart Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. They also believe that all of the Western countries brought in drugs and gambling and encourage people to be involved in those things. Lastly, another source of hate towards the West is simply intolerance towards other cultures. Having cultural practices create a rift between the West and ISIS. These are the mainly the reason why they have so much hate toward the West. Due to having these beliefs, ISIS have carried out some horrific attacks toward the West killing innocent men, woman, and children. After many of these attacks have been claimed by ISIS, many Westerners have wanted an end to this all. Even al Qaeda, the group they branched off and consider the Islamic State to be too extreme. ISIS uses their own ideologies to carry out attacks but have to plan carefully. According to Bruce Hoffman, “attacks are carried out in a groups ideology”. This source explains that ISIS ideology is to attack the west and that’s what their plan has been. ISIS a cruel vigorous terrorist group have ruined many lives and carried out horrific attacks against the innocent.

After having a militant group tore through half of a country, what is the aftermath of Syria? Major cities have been torn apart and family’s homes have been destroyed. Also, places like schools, stadiums, mosques, etc. don’t exist anymore and have been left in ruble. Raqqa a major city once homed to 400,000 people, Raqqa now has become unrecognizable to those who once lived there. The city has no functioning water or electricity and there are still hundreds of bombs planted by ISIS that haven’t been defused. The war against ISIS has nearly leveled the city and U.S is putting effort into bringing basic services back up. Also, ISIS militants have destroyed historic monuments in Syria. One notably that has been destroyed was the ancient Roman Theater which was located in Palmyra. They believe that this is a way ISIS does propaganda. According to Robin Yassin Kassab, “after the war, 2,500 peaceful protestors have been detained and tortured”. This shows that Syria has not been stable after all and it could be because of ISIS. After all, Syria has been involved in many civil wars and having ISIS tear apart the country didn’t help either.

Since one of the main goals for ISIS is to seek revenge on the west, what have they done so far to do so? ISIS has claimed responsibility for hundreds of terrorist attacks in the Middle East, but most of their well-known attacks have been on Western soil. One horrific attack ISIS has claimed to do is on November 2015 Paris, where it was a series of attacks that included bombers and shooters. Another attack they have claimed was a month later in San Bernardino where a couple opened fire. So far looking at what this militant group has done is cruel and disgusting knowing that they had other major attacks on Western soil. The third attack was in Brussels on March 2016 in an airport which killed several innocent people. Lastly, another major attack happened in Manchester during an Ariana Grande concert killing mostly teenagers. These attacks show how cruel this group can be and also show that stopping this group should be a key concern for many of these countries.

Furthermore, it asks the question what have we done to stop or contain this gruesome group? Various countries have been involved in stopping ISIS. Countries like the United States, France, United Kingdom, Russia and several other Arab countries. The United States have primarily used targeted airstrikes and claimed to have used 9,000 against ISIS. Another effort the United States put forward is by deploying more troops in Iraq which caused ISIS to stay in one area. Taking back key areas like Aleppo, Mosul, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor made it easier for ISIS to give up. According to Liam Freeman, the author states “the U.S are putting effort into cutting off supply through Abu Kamal”. The cause of this have weakened both the military and financially. These things have affected ISIS in a huge way, they have become financially weaker and are started to lose more of their soldiers due to retaliation from the west.

In conclusion, major countries have put in more effort to contain this terrorist group. ISIS being arguably one of the most notorious militant group ever and have been causing havoc all throughout the Middles East. Since the fall of Syria, ISIS rose to power by taking advantage of a weakened Syrian government while it was going through the civil war. ISIS now has lost a lot of its ground in Syria and Iraq because countries like United States, France, United Kingdom, Russia and several other Arab countries have put in more effort to do so.