So taking out as large of a portion of them as possible is a must.
”If the Islamic State is at the moment attracting most of the international attention among terror groups, Al Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood also represent a threat and the attention must not be taken away from connections between different groups, according to participants at the Future Security of the GCC Forum: Fighting Extremism.”
ISIS: “Caliph’s death would not prove lethal for group”
Yet analysts are divided. Names of potential successors
(by Lorenzo Trombetta) (ANSAmed) – BEIRUT, NOVEMBER 12 – Arab observers are divided between those describing the Islamic State (ISIS) as a monster with many heads, and thus able to regenerate leaders, or an organization relying entirely on its chief, ”caliph” Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. They are also divided in figuring out the potential short and long-term repercussions of his possible death on the jihadist group present in Iraq and Syria.
So far allegations, re-launched yesterday by Egyptian daily al Ahram among others, that the leader has possibly been wounded or killed in US-led Coalition air raids have not been confirmed.
The air raids were carried out between last Friday and Saturday in northern Iraq, close to Mosul.
”It is reductive to state that ISIS can do without Baghdadi by simply replacing him at the helm of the organization”, wrote yesterday pan Arab daily al Quds al Arabi.
”It’s like saying the Islamic State is a group with several autonomous local leaderships, without considering the political and personal strength of Baghdadi”.
Measuring the relevance the self-proclaimed caliph has within ISIS has led many to wonder how the organization is structured after it turned, in just two years, from the Iraqi arm of al Qaida to a pseudo-State entity able to challenge regional and international powers.