The United States has been faced with several threats both from internal and external organizations which are not allied to a particular state or nation; non-state actors. Of the external threat posed to them is the ISIS attack that has left several severe offenses in the country. In a previous couple of months, the group has managed to strategize its foundation among the significant threat to stability in the Middle East regions. The massive number of killings conducted by the group is with the aim of instilling danger and fear among its enemies and the areas they want to perform an attack. The executions in public and cruxification are documented and posted on the media for other countries to see which displays the shock and the magnitude of the threat it has in the areas it has captured.[1]
The actions of brutality that was conducted by the group in Iraq and Syria is nothing brand to their nature, but an attempt instill fear among the United States people and the government. The secrets of its strength lie majorly on the enemy’s weakness. The concern and threats which were currently being expressed by the leaders of the United States, France and British concerning the export of fright from the Middle East to the native nation have a strong foundation. The group is said to be conducting several attacks on the borders of the United States while executing its people so that they win the fear in the hearts of the American government to surrender into them. They are primarily motivated by the fact of spreading Jihadism into the entire region of the United States. For this reason, they are recognized well in the United States hence a measure to prevent then is essential to avoid further execution of its people 1.
History of the group.
The group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria commonly regarded as ISIS was a group which was established by two parties believed to have arisen in the American soil in early 2003. This wad as an outcome of the administration of the American government led by Paul Bremer that made a decision of “de Baathifying” the operations of the military and the people of Iran leading to unemployment by hundreds and thousands of the Sunnis people who were initially loyal and respectful to the founder and leader, the great Saddam Hussein. This behavior made them mad at the government of the United States. During their period of initiation and establishment, the organization conducted various attacks on the Shiite militias though they were quite active at this moment. They bombed various buildings and hotels that were close to Jordan. Most of the attackers were incarcerated and made to spend their lives in the “Camp Bucca.” The group is mainly inspired by the al Qaida, but it was later on expelled from it and claim it’s independent. The group had been established in many regions till 2017 when its Caliphates fall. The invasion of the United States in 2003 led to the replacement of Western occupation with a Sunni regime. This led to the killing of Zarqawi during the American airstrike in 2006. Abu Ayyub then was named the new ISIS leader who later on renamed the group to Islamic State of Syria (ISI). Zarqawi died in 2010 following the American-Iraqi operation which led to power transformation to Bakr al-Baghdadi. ISI fought against the Syrian forces in Syria during the civil war that occurred in Syria. The group later on renamed its name to ISIS after gaining powers and grounds in the entire region of Syria. Their rule quickly spread throughout the whole states of Syria and Iraq.[2]
Leadership.
ISIS leaders from various regions decided to fight against each other to regain the total power and resume control of the whole territories of the ISIS states, Iraq and Syria. The entire organization was ditched into misunderstandings as the outcome of the significant number of killings of the ISIS leaders while destroying every property that belongs to them. Their leadership is structured from the top officials at the religious leaders named Caliph; Abu Bakr al Baghdadi who was the overall leader. The senior leader is assisted with two council commissioner namely Shura council regarded for consultation and Sharia council. The two were in control of other chambers in charge of the military, religious affairs, intelligence and matters security, provincial, media and finance. Other notable officials include chief of supplies and logistics. Ibrahim Caliph is the only person to make the decision which is implemented without any avenue for recourse. The leaders represent Prophet Muhammad and are entitled to total power and control over the entire group without sharing authorities with any of the servants. [3]
Recent information revealed on memory cards taken from the residence of Al-Baghdadi’s chief of the military for the territory of Iraq whose leader Abu Abd el-Bilawi who was killed in the raid conducted by the army. The invasion revealed a side structure that suggested an executive branch of the organization. The cabinet was assigned to be in charge of the daily and frequent state administration.
Once the group has taken control of a particular region, they decide then to be less or more standardized and implements its phase 2 in search for total power: Islamic learning based on the philosophy of the State of Islam.
Structure and Organization.
The ISIS group are structured in such a way that the powers are directed from the Abu-Bakr Al Baghdadi who then controls the other groups of leaders in the entire ISIS organization. The Ibrahim Caliph sits on top of the organizational pyramid and directs the whole of the military group in the ground. The structure is as shown below:
- The council of the military- this is controlled by Ahmad Abu al’ Alawani and includes three officials mandated to organize and officiate the commanders in the army in the field.
- The Shura which is considered as the consultative council and is controlled by Arkan Al Ameri. The commission is mandated to supervise the state affairs.
- The authority in charge of the judiciary which is controlled by Mohammad Abu which is mandated to officiate on all issues related to the judiciary and also to spread the message regarding the state of Islam through preaching and recruitment.
- The council in charge of the defense, intelligence and security which is mandated to organize the security personnel of the Caliph and in the entire organization. The council is managed and controlled by Abu Bakr who is the former Saddam Hussein’s army major general.
- Athir Amaru controls the Islamic State Organization for Public Logistics. Its spokesman was Mohammad Abu who was executed in a military invasion and was later on replaced by Ahmad Abu.
Nevertheless, recent information revealed on memory cards taken from the residence of Al-Baghdadi’s chief of the military for the territory of Iraq whose leader Abu Abd el-Bilawi who was killed in the raid conducted by the military. The invasion revealed a side structure that suggested an executive branch of the organization. The cabinet was assigned to be in charge of the daily and frequent state administration4.
Motivation and Goals.
The motive towards their fighting and frequent attacks they conduct on the American soil is to claim for their lost glory and power including the land they believe to own during their ancient times. The group is motivated with other Islamic leaders who act secretly to invoke them into conducting attacks on the American people. The threats posted on its enemies motivates them to continue with the act of attacking in various occasions[4].
The aim and goals of the group are to establish an Islamic state known as Caliphate in the regions of Syria and Iraq and beyond.
Tactics used.
The organization mail techniques in through creating public videos which are then posted on the media to develop and instilling fear among its enemies. The organization is implementing and advocating for Sharia law in the entire region which is rooted back in the 18th century[5]. They aim to form a society that reflects the area’s old past5. The group is well known for their brutal and massive killings of the innocent infidels in public. The event is documented then posted to the media for the public to see their actions. This, in turn, instills fear among its enemies. They consumed modern tools including social media and other tools to offer religious fundamentalism and promoting reactionary politics. The terrorists are fond of destroying holy sites despite the leader’s propagation towards returning to the ancient periods of the Islam 5.
Funding and Connections.
According to Leah et al. (2014), the group is termed as one of the strongest regarding their threat and receives various offers, sponsorship, and funding from different sources globally. The group is connected to both internal and external organizations are considered to sustain their operations and make it successful[6]. The group which is viewed as the most and more massive terrorist party in the global world is said to have an estimated worth of $2 million daily as part of the income from the several sources that they have. Areas that acts as the source of their funding and support include the following as mentioned below:
- Exportation of various products from oil and gas to the foreign nations. This is aided due to its highest demand in almost all the countries in the world.
- Selling of the agricultural products from the farms also acts as their source of income. These products from the farm are also taken to the external countries in return for weapons and medications.
- The Sunnis are believed to support them even in their attacks since they are considered to be rich.
- Selling of drugs illegally to their neighboring states in exchange for money to pay their military and even weapons.
- The ISIS is believed to be in control of many regions in their regions hence they are capable of collecting taxes from the residents. The collected tax is then used to purchase weapons and other materials used during the war including medication, vehicles, and food.
- The group also forcefully takes away properties belonging to some individuals in the high rankings in the region with the threat of killing them if they resist surrendering the property.
Location, Scope, and their Magnitude.
ISIS is believed to be the global group that mainly conducts its operations in the Islamic states of Syria and Iraq[7]. They are situated in their stronghold in the Middle East where the entire region is covered with Muslim who are the active affiliates of the organization. ISIS perform all of their operations in their territories despite being removed by the United States anti-ISIS group. Their main areas of services include Tikrit, Udhaim, Sadia, Jalula, and Baiji. They then decided to shift their territory to Tigris desert areas. They are found controlling Northern Fallujah which provide sufficient access towards the northern part of Baghdad. They still have support in managing the Mosul and Raqqa regions despite their huge losses of their areas from which they were operating from.
Countering the Threat.
Various measures and steps can be put into consideration when trying to curb the threats and attacks made by the ISIS group. The measures that can be employed to handle the terrorists are as shown below in the following sections[8].
One of the methods is through avoidance of the term Jihad to be used in public. The legislature of the united stated the war against the public use of the term Jihad. Publicly using of the term can make the group seem to glorify hence many people will start supporting their actions in the country. The government should impose heavy punishment on any individual who publically uses the term to invite other people or even praising the group8.
Another measure is through incorporating the Muslim into the American government and even appointing them as leaders in the country. In this manner, the state will be able to control every individual and also avoid the problem of insurgency. The ISIS at times conducts their attack through insurgency using the local Muslim people in the American soil. Creating an awareness concerning any artificial intelligence activity that is yet to be undertaken in the country. This awareness should be made to the Muslim leaders so that they are aware of a particular event in the country8.
The next step is to create trust among the religious leaders including the Muslim Imams in the mosque. This is to ensure that in case of any information they obtain from the ISIS group is presented to the government with immediate effect to prevent the planned attack. The Imams are believed to be highly respected by their followers hence can be used to post a fruitful conversation with the ISIS groups[9].
Religious leaders in the United States can be encouraged to work together in the similar goal of obtaining peace in the nation. In the American country, religious leaders have been of great importance in repeating the calm message concerning peace for the Muslims. For example, mosques have assisted the Muslims in getting their voice being heard in the entire country. The Christians have also been encouraged to work with their fellow Muslims in establishing peace in the country9.
Bibliography.
Adam Mickiewicz. (2016). ISIS communication strategies. University of Poznan.
Aid, M. (2014). For U.S., Getting Reliable HUMINT From Behind ISIS Lines In Iraq and Syria Is Going to Very Difficult. Retrieved March 12, 2016, from http://www.matthewaid.com/post/100151289171/for-us-getting-reliable-humint-from-behind-isis
Brian Castner (2017). Exclusive: Tracing ISIS’s weapons supply chain– Back to the United States.
Caruso, R. (2014). Here’s How The US Can Build The Intelligence Capabilities Needed To Defeat ISIS. Retrieved March 12, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-needs-better-humint-to-beat-isis-2014-9
Cole Bunzel. (2015). From the Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State.
Daily PNUT (2015). A brief history of ISIS.
Davies, D. (2015). Top CIA ‘Spymasters’ Agree: We Can’t Kill Our Way Out Of Terrorism. Retrieved March 12, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/2015/12/03/458300917/top-cia-spymasters-agree-we-cant-kill-our-way-out-of-terrorism
Exstein (2017). ISIS funding and supports.
http://observer.com/2015/09/us-reliance-on-too-much-sigint-and-too-little-spycraft-is-dangerous and-expensive/
Janine di Giovanni, Leah McGrath Goodman and Damien Sharkov (2014). How Does ISIS Fund Its Reign of Terror? US Edition.
Silverstein, K. (2015). US Reliance on Too Much SIGINT and Too Little
Simon Osborne. (2017). ISIS CIVIL WAR: Jihadis prepare to fight each other for leadership of crumbing death cult.
Spycraft Is Dangerous and Expensive. Retrieved March 12, 2016, from
[1] Daily PNUT (2015). A brief history of ISIS.
[2] Daily PNUT (2015). A brief history of ISIS.
[3] Daily PNUT (2015). A brief history of ISIS.
[4] Adam Mickiewicz. (2016). ISIS communication strategies. University of Poznan
[5] Brian Castner (2017). Exclusive: Tracing ISIS’s weapons supply chain– Back to the United States
[6] Adam Mickiewicz. (2016). ISIS communication strategies. University of Poznan.
[7] Aid, M. (2014). For U.S., Getting Reliable HUMINT From Behind ISIS Lines In Iraq and Syria Is Going to Very Difficult. Retrieved March 12, 2016, from
[8] Silverstein, K. (2015). US Reliance on Too Much SIGINT and Too Little
[9] Silverstein, K. (2015). US Reliance on Too Much SIGINT and Too Little