ISIS: Terrorist Groups In Iraq

Who is ISIS?

ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It is a terrorist group led by Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi. His successors Abu Hamza al-Muhajir and Abu Omr al-Baghdadi were both killed in 2010, where leadership of Al Qaeda in Iraq was passed to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Before the true formation of ISIS, it was led by Jamaat al-Tawhid walJihad during a terrorist training groups of western Afghanistan and relocated to Iraq in 2003. From there the organization rose to wage war against the US under a fugitive Jordanian terrorist, Abu Mus ab al-Zarqawi. In October 2004, he swore his allegiance to Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda’s leader. From there on the organization was constantly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq. He did not pay attention to

In the year 1971, Baghdadi was born in Samarra, North Baghdad. As a child he was described as withdrawn and barely audible. His neighbors recalled him as shy and retiring. His nickname as a child was “The Believer” because he would always be engrossed in his religious studies as a child. He is from a religious family. His brothers and uncles are preachers and teachers in the Arabic culture. As a married man, he became a professor, teacher, educator, preacher, and a graduate of the Islamic University, where he earned a BA, MA, and PhD. Even though he barely appears in audio or visual recordings, he is stated to have the words that can motivate people to do great things. Many can claim that his family has the lineage that traces back to the Prophet Muhammad. (This portrays the type of influence he has upon the muslim community). Now that we know some information pertaining to the current leader of ISIS, let’s figure out as to why such a group would exist. Al Qaeda practices the beliefs of the al-salaf al-salih (their ancestors), who were companions of Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad and his companions established an Islamic state or a caliphate which constitutes where these practices and beliefs can be applied. These practices and beliefs focus on the concept of tawhid (oneness/unity of God). Such a religion enforces their vision of Islam’s views, where they believe in waging

With such a strong faith towards practicing such an ideology, ISIS has developed strategic military tactics. For instance, we can begin discussing the number of fighters they have that are ready to fight for their cause. Sources say that on estimate ISIS has 25,000 people who are assigned different tasks for the cause. As of right now nobody has found out any information regarding their capability of having an air force. Not only do they have a good amount of fighters, they portray many military attributes that aid in their element of surprise. We can begin by discussing the fact that they have a sort of liquid structure. Liquid meaning as if no one has truly been able to identify ISIS personnel, operational capabilities, and more. Second, they have a very disciplined organization that follows their leadership based on a hierarchy system. For instance, only the people who are in lineage with the Prophet Muhammed can run the organization. Also ISIS has proven to be very adaptable to certain situations they are faced with. Adaptability can be a dangerous attribute because with a world that is constantly changing, a group can be strong based on such a factor. There are still many more factors that can contribute towards the advantages of ISIS military