<
https://theconversation.com/islamic-state-remains-a-potent-threat-five-years-after-its-military-defeat-237599>
"Austrian authorities announced the arrest of two people on August 7 for
planning attacks on large events around Vienna, including Taylor Swift
concerts. The suspects, a 19-year-old who was known to security services and a
17-year-old, are Austrian citizens believed to have been radicalised by
extremist Islamist propaganda from Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda.
These foiled plans were followed by a knife attack in the west German city of
Solingen on August 23 that killed three people and wounded eight others. IS
claimed responsibility for the attack the following day.
To understand the message that IS intended to send through these attacks, we
must consider how the group operated both at its peak and after its 2019
defeat, when the final stretch of the group’s territory was liberated in
Baghuz, Syria.
Between 2014 and 2016, IS gained international media attention for its campaign
to establish a so-called Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The group
recruited men and women from over 80 countries, and committed atrocities
against minorities including Kurds, Shabaks, Christians and Yazidis in the
territories across Iraq and Syria that fell under its control.
A global coalition made up of 87 international partners, including countries
and organisations like Nato, was established to defeat IS. Once the group had
lost control of all of its territory, it saw a significant decrease in media
attention. This decline in coverage occurred despite the enduring and severe
consequences of the group’s actions, particularly for ethnic groups like the
Yazidis.
Ten years have now passed since IS’s brutal campaign of genocide and sexual
enslavement against the Yazidis in Iraq. But around 150,000 survivors still
live in tents in displaced person camps, and around 2,600 Yazidis are still
missing.
The loss of physical territory was a critical blow to IS’s image as a powerful
and expansive entity. However, its ideological and operational capabilities
were far from eradicated."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
