Critical Points Mentioned in an American Report on the ISIS Organization

16th October 2024

2 minutes read

Critical Points Mentioned in an American Report on the ISIS Organization

Saudi writer and journalist Mishary Dhayidi published an article in the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper in London about the terrorist organization ISIS and its areas of presence, following the U.S. military’s announcement of a series of airstrikes against ISIS camps in Syria.

Dhayidi stated that the U.S. military statement summarized the goal of these strikes as crippling ISIS’s capabilities in the region. The question remains: Why now? Or is it a routine operation as part of the international coalition’s actions against ISIS, independent of other contexts?

He added that around 900 U.S. soldiers are deployed in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors. United Nations estimates indicate that ISIS still has between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, according to a report from last January.

Regarding the international coalition against ISIS, Alan Matney, the U.S. Department of Defense coordinator for this coalition, revealed new strategies and plans to address the threats posed by this infamous global terrorist organization.

Matney stated in a report published by the Pentagon last Thursday that ISIS no longer controls significant territory, but the ideology it promotes remains alive, and the international coalition must continue to confront these threats.

Is ISIS a rigid organization, unable to evolve, adapt to surrounding changes, or adjust its propaganda methods in light of these developments? Especially since ISIS is, chronologically, the “latest” version of armed political Islam?

Alan Matney, an expert and U.S. official on the ISIS issue, said in the same report: “I think if we’ve learned anything over the past ten years, it’s that this threat doesn’t disappear; it changes and adapts.”

The critical point in this American report is the reference to a new geography targeted by the “Islamic State” of ISIS, far from the conflict zone in the Middle East. The report mentions that ISIS is currently facing greater difficulties operating in Iraq and Syria and is now attempting to expand into West Africa, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Southeast Asia.

Dhayidi added: We must not underestimate what is happening today in the African desert and other areas of Africa and Asia, just because the media and “social media” do not focus on them or are unaware. This ignorance or laziness in understanding does not negate the upcoming danger, which, unfortunately, will reach us sooner or later, especially if these areas become a new magnet attracting a fresh generation of teenagers or young adults barely out of adolescence.