So, let’s just jump right in. Let’s talk about ISIS. ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. At times you will hear it referred to as ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which is more inclusive of the countries in the eastern Mediterranean, including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, among others. The group adheres to an ultraconservative, extreme fundamentalist version of Sunni Islam and enforces adherence to its extremist interpretation of sharia law which violates human rights by justifying acts of war and terror and harsh punishment for crimes. It has named Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as its caliph, or direct successor of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. The group started referring to itself as the Islamic State in June 2014 when it proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate, or area surrounding a caliph. Caliphates claim worldwide political, military, and religious authority over Muslims worldwide. It currently holds territory in Iraq and Syria and its population is estimated to be anywhere from 2.8 million to 5.3 million to 6 million to 8 million. Affiliates of ISIL control portions of Libya, Nigeria, Afghanistan and other territories in Southern Asia and Northern Africa.
The group actually dates back to the late 90’s under the name Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. They ultimately pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda (the group that claimed responsibility for the September 11th attacks) with al-Zarqawi becoming the 1st Emir of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The group participated in the Iraqi insurgency following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States. There, it joined with other Sunni insurgent groups forming the Islamic State of Iraq in October 2006 (al-Zarqawi was killed in a targeted killing by the U.S. in June of 2006). By August 2011, al-Baghdadi was the leader of ISI and sent a delegation in a mission to Syria following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War where they ultimately established a large presence. Al-Qaeda cut all ties with ISIL in February 2014.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi calls for a holy war, or jihad, against all those who do not ascribe to Sunni Islam. A Reuters article from June 2015 named his message as this: “Where Iraq's rulers could not prevent the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that delivered the country into the hands of Shi'ites, and were unwilling to mount a jihad against Alawite minority rule in Syria, much less deliver Jerusalem from Israel, Islamic State will now lead the way.” The jihadists believe that they are on a divine mission to redeem their fallen Arab world. al-Baghdadi stepped in to claim loyalists of Saddam Hussein and Islamist extremists born of the Iraq War.
Much like it is difficult to determine the number of people living in ISIL territories, it is also difficult to determine how many ISIL fighters there are. That same Reuters article cited above had ISIL claiming 40,000 fighters in June of 2015, a ten fold increase to the 4,000 fighters identified just a year prior at the beginning of its rise. Kurdish leaders claimed ISIL had 200,000 fighters as of September of 2014. It’s a number that is definitely hard to pin down. Many current sources report the numbers are on the decline with recent numbers estimating around 12,000. ISIL’s loss of territories and troops is encouraging them to spread their terror to other countries which is why we have seen a rise in terror attacks outside of Iraq and Syria.
Over 60 countries are waging war against ISIL including the U.S. using primarily airstrikes with a small number of troops on the ground that are there for support of rebel forces only and prohibited under the rules of engagement from conducting offensive military action against ISIL. Islamic State is without a doubt a terrorist organization. It is largely known for its beheadings, destruction of churches and mosques, and ethnic cleansing through terrorist attacks and suicide bombings in Iraq & Syria and around the world. It is overwhelmingly condemned by Islamic religious leaders.
Since June 2014, it has claimed or inspired over 70 terrorist attacks in 20 countries outside of Iraq and Syria killing at least 1,200 and injuring over 1,700. Iraq and Syria have experienced the worst of it with on-going violence and terrorism in the region. Attacks claiming the lives of over 100 outside of Iraq and Syria include
- October 2015: Suicide bombings of protesters at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey killing 102 and injuring over 400.
- October 2015: Metrojet Flight 9268 en route from Egypt to St. Petersburg, Russia bombed killing all 224 people on board.
- November 2015: Perpetrators coordinate shootings, suicide bombings, grenades, and hostage taking in Paris, France killing 130 and injuring 368.
The United States has had 4 attacks said to be inspired by ISIL. None of the attacks were coordinated by ISIL itself. All were said to be “lone wolf” terrorist attacks by American-born citizens.
- On October 23, 2014, American-born, recent convert to Islam, Zale H. Thompson, attacked 4 NYPD officers in Queens with a hatchet. It was classified as an act of terrorism. Two officers were injured and the suspect was shot dead. While not specifically tied to ISIL, he had visited hundreds of websites of terrorist organizations, one of which being ISIL.
- On May 3, 2015, 2 American-born men, Elton Simpson & Nadir Soofi, shot at officers at the entrance to an exhibit featuring cartoon images of the prophet Muhammad at the Curtis Caldwell Center in Garland, Texas. A security officer was shot in the ankle and the perpetrators were killed by the SWAT team. Prior to the attack, they pledged allegiance to ISIL on Twitter.
- On December 2, 2015, a married couple, American-born, Syed Rizwan Farook, & Pakistani-born lawful permanent resident of the U.S., Tashfeen Malik, opened fire on a Department of Public Health staff holiday party for which Farook worked in San Bernadino, California killing 14 and injuring 22. While not directed or a part of any terrorist network, they were inspired by foreign terrorist groups and Malik swore allegiance to al-Baghdadi on Facebook prior to the attack. It was the deadliest attack to be classified as a terrorist attack since September 11th until the Orlando nightclub shooting.
- On June 12, 2016, American born, Omar Mateen, killed 49 people and injured 53 at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It is the deadliest mass shooting and the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in United States history. Mateen swore allegiance to ISIL and al-Baghdadi in a 911 call although the CIA has found no links between Mateen and ISIL. Witnesses and acquaintances have claimed that Mateen was a patron of the nightclub and a gay man himself, but the FBI has found no evidence to confirm that.
With a deeper understanding of ISIL, how do the candidates propose we stop them and other terrorist networks? And, how do we stop the lone wolf terrorists not connected to global networks directly?
Clinton: Clinton wants to take out ISIL’s stronghold in Iraq & Syria by intensifying the air strikes, by stepping up support for Arab and Kurdish forces, and pursuing a diplomatic strategy working to resolve the civil war in Syria and the conflict between the Sunnis and Shi’ites in Iraq, both of which contributed to the rise of ISIL. All of these efforts rely heavily on our allies and the coalition we are a part of for success. She wants to continue working with our allies to dismantle additional terror networks. As jihadists are primarily targeting Europe and have been unsuccessful at entering the US, this means working with European intelligence agencies to go after those who help forge documents for jihadists enabling them to travel undetected. It also means working with tech companies to fight jihadist propaganda on-line, intercept ISIL communications, and tracking and analyzing social media posts to stop attacks.
While, coordinated attacks by global terrorist groups have been unsuccessful since September 11, 2011, Clinton also acknowledges the threat of lone wolf terrorism in the US and has specific policy proposals aimed at stopping such attacks. This means supporting first responders, law enforcement, and intelligence officers with tools, resources, intelligence, and training to prevent attacks before they happen. She proposes launching an intelligence surge, and allowing the FBI to stop gun sales to suspected terrorists, expanding background checks for gun sales, and keeping military-style assault weapons off the streets.
Trump: Trump’s most current ISIS policy seems to come from a foreign policy speech given in Ohio in mid-August. In it he says, “My administration will aggressively pursue joint and coalition military operations to crush and destroy ISIS, international cooperation to cut off their funding, expanded intelligence-sharing, and cyber-warfare to disrupt and disable a their propaganda and recruiting.” In that speech, he also proposed his “extreme vetting” proposal by saying,”The time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today. I call it extreme vetting. I call it extreme, extreme vetting.”
To view National Security Part 1: Strength, Allies, Diplomacy, click here.
To view National Security Part 3: Military, click here.
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