Analysts caution that ISIS has not been destroyed, but
with these twin defeats, it has been broken down from a terror state
back into a terrorist organization.
with these twin defeats, it has been broken down from a terror state
back into a terrorist organization.
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With Fall of Raqqa, ISIS Is No Longer a Terror State
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
by JOHN HAYWARD
18 Oct 2017
Tuesday was a landmark day in the war against the Islamic State, as both the ISIS capital of Raqqa in Syria and its Philippine stronghold of Marawi were liberated.
Analysts caution that ISIS has not been destroyed, but
with these twin defeats, it has been broken down from a terror state
back into a terrorist organization.
with these twin defeats, it has been broken down from a terror state
back into a terrorist organization.
The value of ISIS’ former status as a terror state was enormous. Islamic State recruiting pitches were filled with boasts about its prowess as a conqueror of territory, from easily routing the Iraqi military at Mosul to carving a bloody swath across Syria.
The Islamic State declared a “caliphate,” or Islamic nation. Its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was the “caliph.”
Other terrorist gangs swore vows of fealty to Baghdadi on that basis. His continued survival is a matter of debate, but if he no longer holds a caliphate, he can hardly claim to be a conquering caliph anymore.
As Al Aan reporter Jenan Moussa pointed out, the Islamic State dreamed of invading Rome at the height of its power.
Moussa also trenchantly recalled “B.S. published by some so-called analysts advocating ‘talking to ISIS’ and ‘military action against ISIS won’t work,’” because their military strength was so formidable, augmented by their use of captive populations in Iraq and Syria as human shields. She forthrightly acknowledged that the collateral damage in cities like Mosul and Raqqa was enormous, but the defeat and humiliation of the Islamic State was an urgent necessity.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces promptly commenced humiliation operations as soon as they gained control of central Raqqa:
Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the coalition to defeat ISIS, counted coup by posting photos of “pathetic” ISIS fighters surrendering in droves:
McGurk also noted that the depredations of the Islamic State are being swiftly repaired, to erase all traces of their presence in Raqqa and other liberated cities as quickly as possible:
