ISIS Is On The Run

Apparently Donald Trump’s theory that invoking the words “radical Islamic terrorists” is the critical way to deal with the problem of terrorism actually has something to it. While he has been ranting about ISIS taking over the world, the organization is quickly collapsing. It has lost vast swaths of territory in both Iraq and Syria over the last few months and now the Iraqi army has begun a major offensive to retake Mosul, ISIS’ last remaining stronghold in Iraq. In Syria, the important town of Dabiq has also been retaken from ISIS by Syrian rebels. The town is especially important because Dabiq is prophesized to be the final battleground between Muslims and non-believers that will take place at the end of the world. The loss of a majority, or even the totality, of its areas of control is a huge blow for ISIS propaganda and recruitment. It had made a big point of pointing to the land it controlled as the “new Caliphate” but that looks like it will soon be gone. And there are signs of internal dissension within the organization. One of the top aides to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was executed along with over 50 others in a reported coup that planned to turn Mosul over to the Iraqis. This does not mean that ISIS will cease to be a potent terrorist organization. Even though the ISIS-inspired terrorist attacks in Europe were actually an indication of the weakness of the organization, it still shows the potential destruction that ISIS can create. But it is a far weaker threat than it was two years ago and it will only get weaker as they areas they control shrink.