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Islamic State’s Next Target
Christian C. Sahner
Christian C. Sahner
The city of Palmyra, a beautiful trading outpost from antiquity, is the latest site in the radicals’ crosshairs.
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Exploring the emergence and continuity of the so-called Islamic State in Syria and the implications of the militant group’s activities on the international stage.
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The city of Palmyra, a beautiful trading outpost from antiquity, is the latest site in the radicals’ crosshairs.
“Most of the lectures focused on the necessity of fighting Western countries, and the Arab countries that are their allies. They appointed themselves as God’s soldiers on earth and gave themselves the right to judge and punish people. ”.
Mia Bloom spoke with Syria Deeply about ISIS’ recruitment of women and the reality of their lives in Syria and Iraq.
“It is a propaganda piece that is part justification, part myth busting and recruitment tool, and part clarification of a woman’s role in the Islamic State.”.
“The barrel bombs are continuing and indeed they are the principal reason why civilians are dying in Syria today. ”.
“Our dignity is lost in other countries, and my mother’s sickness kept me from doing anything. It basically ruled out all my choices.”.
Marah, a teenage girl from one of Syria’s besieged cities, shares her stories of life in the war. She recently moved to Damascus to continue her education, deciding to focus her college studies on prosthetics. She hopes to help heal the injured in her country’s conflict.
“Everyone is thinking of ways to smuggle their daughters out of the city, but it is almost impossible”.
“They told us that we are at war with the infidels and the deserters … and so we should grab weapons and fight by their side.”.
Despite losing hundreds of fighters to US airstrikes and confronting Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the Islamic State has resisted eviction from Kobane, and its foes fear the fight will drag on.
“There are a lot of people involved in the social media campaign who are cheerleaders of ISIS who are not formally associated with ISIS and who aren’t necessarily based in Iraq and Syria.”.
‘When people feel confused about the world and the society they live in, when they feel they need a more secure environment that can help them navigate troubled social conditions, you often see an upsurge of religious fundamentalism’.
‘The Assad regime will always have an authoritarian tendency and willingness to put it to force, and arrest any politicians that disagree with its point of view’.
Zaytoun and Zaytouna uses such content as games, stories and illustrations to bring light relief and fun to children in a war zone.
Marah, a teenage girl from one of Syria’s besieged cities, shares her stories of life in the war. She recently moved to Damascus to continue her education, deciding to focus her college studies on prosthetics. She hopes to help heal the injured in her country’s conflict.
The UN is suggesting Aleppo as a starting point to provide much-needed relief to areas hardest hit by the Syrian civil war. But it’s a hard sell with warring parties.
‘Physics and chemistry contained many unholy laws, and we had to be careful not to corrupt the minds of children under ISIS rule’.
Residents tell Syria Deeply that ISIS has divided Raqqa and assigned responsibilities to its local leaders, in a systematic bureaucracy of religious rule.
‘In Raqqa, it seems the color black and fear go hand in hand’.
Activists point to increased Syrian airstrikes against the opposition since the US-led campaign began. But rebel groups are also fighting Islamic State, analysts note.
‘Many Syrians are facing two bleak choices: Syrian government barrel bombs, or ISIS’s advance and own brand of horrendous violations’.
David Butter, a Middle East energy analyst and associate fellow at Chatham House, spoke to Syria Deeply about ISIS oil and what it means for Syria at large.
Hassan Hassan gave us his take on what needs to be done to effectively root out ISIS in Syria.
Hamish de Bretton Gordon OBE, a chemical weapons expert focusing on the Syrian crisis and founder of London-based SecureBio, weighs in on what remains of the chemical stockpile in Syria and where authorities stand in securing them.
‘We were forced to go on strike and close our shops until ISIS provides us and the people of Raqqa with enough power’.
Lebanon fears that Islamic State and other militant forces – pressed by Hezbollah and Syria into the mountains along Lebanon’s border – are trying to break into populated areas.
Didem Aykel Collinsworth, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, on why Turkey has stepped up its cooperation with the international community in the fight against ISIS.
A look at what victory or defeat would mean for the self-styled Islamic State – and for US objectives in its expanding war in Syria and Iraq.
Noah Bonsey, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, gave us an in-depth explanation of why ISIS has had so much success in Syria and the challenges ahead for degrading its influence.
‘There is no use fighting ISIS. They have become a reality. If you cut off Assad’s head, then ISIS will wither and die on its own’.
Aron Lund, editor of Syria in Crisis at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, weighs in on the fallout and potential consequences of striking Jabhat al-Nusra.
A steady stream of Syrian men are joining the National Defense Force, a loyalist reserve force used by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2012.
Many local journalists fled Deir Ezzor when ISIS arrived – and the ones who stayed behind are forced to abide by the extremist group’s draconian rules.
Why the fall of Kobani would be a devastating blow to stability along the Syrian-Turkish border, with grave consequences for the region.
“ISIS claim they are carrying out Islamic doctrine, and then they kill innocent people,” says one resident, who fled his hometown as the militant group advanced. “For me, they are criminals with no respect for human beings and their legitimate rights. They don’t represent Islam.”.
Efforts to expand the anti-Islamic State coalition include the debate in Britain’s Parliament, deliberations in Denmark and Belgium, and US overtures to Turkey. US and French jets struck IS oil targets overnight in Syria.
A Syrian woman walked the streets of Raqqa with a camera hidden in her niqab. The video offers a rare glimpse of what life is like in the IS stronghold, where the group has imposed a radical interpretation of Islamic law.
Assisted by aid agencies, Turkey is racing to handle its worst humanitarian crisis since the start of the Syria conflict, as refugees flee advancing Islamic State forces.
‘Where do we go and where do we find a safe haven?’ one asks.
How is Europe reacting to the widening of U.S. military action?
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