In March, the so-called Islamic State was driven from its last territorial stronghold, making it clearly a non-state. But the threat posed by ISIS and its extremist ideology is far from eliminated.
Not only have women still loyal to ISIS terrorized their fellow residents on refugee camps, as reported by the Washington Post, but the militants themselves have a new plan of attack in Iraq and Syria. This “plan B” mapped out by the Institute for the Study of War lays out a troubling analysis showing that far from disappearing ISIS is looking to rekindle its violent regime.
According to the report, in Syria, militants continue to target Syrian Democratic forces and have attempted to disrupt communications in the eastern part of the country. In Iraq, ISIS is trying to rebuild its networks and is likely planing to aim at soft targets in holy cities.
Already, this push seems to have resulted in renewed violence. On Monday, reports linked ISIS to an attack on the Iraqi village of Nineveh. Just hours earlier, a local official had warned that the militants were gaining power. In Afghanistan, an ISIS affiliate also claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul on Saturday.
ISIS is moving far beyond the territory it once claimed in Iraq and Syria. Last Thursday, ISIS-linked militants claimed responsibility for an attack on military barracks that killed eight in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although there is some uncertainty surrounding the group’s origins, research into active groups in Congo point to ISIS support networks that likely include funding.
That ongoing specter of violence is a clear reminder that although the U.S. and its allies may have successfully routed ISIS from its territory, the group and its militant infrastructure remains a threat and is actively developing new strategies to perpetuate its violent ideology.
The U.S. and its allies, rightfully wary of new and existing commitments abroad, must remain wary of the resurgence, albeit lacking territory, of ISIS lest we find ourselves fighting again the same battles we already won.
