Islamic State looks about to lose its last foothold - on the banks of the Euphrates near the Iraq border - but while its era of territorial rule may be over for now, there is near universal agreement that IS remains a threat. Islamic State's possession of land in Iraq and Syria set it apart from
BEIRUT - Islamic State looks about to lose its last foothold - on the banks of the Euphrates near the Iraq border - but while its era of territorial rule may be over for now, there is near universal agreement that IS remains a threat.Islamic State's possession of land in Iraq and Syria set it apart from other like-minded groups such as al Qaeda and became central to its mission when it declared a caliphate in 2014, claiming sovereignty over all Muslim lands and peoples.
Warfare wiped out thousands of its fighters. And, financially, its defeat deprives it of greater resources than any modern jihadist movement has enjoyed, including taxes on its inhabitants and the proceeds of oil sales.In its previous guise as an al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq a decade ago, IS navigated adversity by going underground, biding its time to rise suddenly again.
In Syria, IS fighters are on the brink of losing their last foothold of Baghouz at the Iraqi border. But they still have a presence in sparsely populated territory west of the Euphrates River in an area otherwise held by the Syrian government.The fate of the IS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, remains a mystery. The U.S. government's top experts strongly believe he is alive and possibly hiding in Iraq, U.S. sources recently said. Other top-echelon leaders have been killed in air strikes.
A senior U.S. defence official in Washington said in early March that about 20,000 Islamic State fighters and family members had come out of Baghouz. An SDF official said SDF forces were holding about 4,000 suspected Islamic State fighters from Iraq and Syria and more than 1,000 foreign fighters.The SDF complains that Western states are reluctant to take back the foreign fighters, who are widely seen as a security threat at home but who might be hard to legally prosecute.
In early 2018 the head of U.S. military central command said Islamic State was resilient and remained capable of"inspiring attacks throughout the region and outside of the Middle East".Although Islamic State's core territory was in Iraq and Syria, jihadists fighting in other countries, notably Nigeria, Yemen and Afghanistan, pledged their allegiance to it.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Two Belgian women, renouncing Islamic State, fear kids will never go homeAIN ISSA, Syria: Two Belgian women who joined Islamic State in Syria said on Sunday (Mar 10) they were losing hope they will ever go home after a ...
Read more »
Islamic State extremism on show at 'miserable' Syria campForeign women with Islamic State have tried to assault others they deem 'infidels' at a camp where they are being held in northeast Syria, trying ...
Read more »
Islamic State fighter wants to return to Italy, warns of 'sleeper cells'QAMISHLI, Syria: An Islamic State fighter detained in Syria urged Italy on Saturday (Mar 9) to let him come home to start a new life, saying said ...
Read more »
Britain removes citizenship from two more Islamic State brides: ReportLONDON: Britain has revoked citizenship from two more women who joined the Islamic State group in Syria, a newspaper reported on Sunday (Mar 10), ...
Read more »
Attack slows on Islamic State Syria pocket to save civilians: OfficialU.S.-backed forces are slowing down their offensive against the last Islamic State pocket in eastern Syria to protect civilians who remain there, ...
Read more »
Woman who joined Islamic State starts fight to return to USWASHINGTON (AP) — An Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State lost a first round on Monday in a legal fight to return to the U.S. with her toddler son, even as a judge seemed to support at least one argument made by her lawyer for her U.S. citizenship.
Read more »
Iraqi leader says Islamic State foreign fighters may face death penaltyBAGHDAD: Iraqi President Barham Salih said foreign Islamic State fighters tried in Iraq could be handed death sentences, according to an interview ...
Read more »
Iraq leader says Islamic State foreign fighters may face death penalty - interviewIraqi President Barham Salih said foreign Islamic State fighters tried in Iraq could be handed death sentences, according to an interview published by Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National on Friday. The IS fighters 'will be tried in accordance to Iraqi law and may be sentenced to death if found
Read more »
N. Korea's Kim arrives home after Trump summit: state mediaNorth Korea's Kim Jong Un arrived home on Tuesday, state media said, completing his long journey through China after his Hanoi summit with US President Donald Trump ended without a nuclear deal. Kim's return to Pyongyang marked the end of a marathon 4,000-kilometre (2,500-mile) journey from
Read more »