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ISIS resurges

The reported downing of a coalition warplane over northern Syria just furthers the debate that the war against them is far from being won, and the allies lack a coordinated strategy to eliminate the dreaded enemy. The aircraft is said to be of Jordan, which is playing a pivotal role in fighting the ISIS. This is so because the US-led allies have a different strategy for Iraqi airspace and an altogether different approach as they try to confront the militia in Syria. The fact is that the ISIS is flexing its muscle in Syria and taking advantage of that respite on its marshlands to further its activities in Iraq and downstream. Parts of Syrian territory, where the ISIS is based, seems to be out of reach of the regime in Damascus, and is being used as hinterland by the ISIS to regroup, plan and operate with impunity in the region.

This is where the coalition of the willing against the ISIS has to focus, and come up with a severe punch to dismantle their bases in northern Syria, adjoining territories of Iraq and on the frontiers of Turkey. Though a report emanating from London said that three months of United States and British Royal Air Force-led sorties, along with four Arab nations, had killed more than a 1,100 militants, the achievements on the ground are far from satisfactory. The militia is around and a major chunk of northern Iraq is still under their control, which inevitably sends down psychological fears outside the doors of Baghdad. The battle is long drawn and highly contested. That is why US commander in charge of the mission, Lt Gen James Terry, said that it would take at least a minimum of three years to exterminate the ISIS. This is too easily said than being done, and if the US estimates are any criterion, then they are more illusionary in essence than being practical.

The fact that Al Qaeda and the Taleban survive to this day and are active in the Middle East, Northern Africa, Sub-Sahara, Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing and maiming people ruthlessly, is more of a snub to the claims that they had been defeated. It’s time for the regional states and the Western powers to beef up their action plans against the ISIS, and not only defeat them in Iraq and Syria, but also ensure that they do not regroup elsewhere.

The dangerous trends underway in Pakistan of terror outfits recruiting and swearing allegiance to the ISIS has to be checked immediately. This war is not only about the ISIS or Al Qaeda and the like, it is all about a radical and jaundiced mindset, which has to be defeated on the battlefield, as well as in the social realms of our societies. Successfully cracking down on their sympathisers and financers is the way to go ahead.