Welcome back, friends!  Thanks for stopping by.

About a week ago I had the privilege of hearing an expert on counterinsurgency and counterterrorism discuss the rise of ISIS and America’s response to it.  Dr Sabastian Gorka is an Associate Professor of War & Conflict at the National Defense University and advises and briefs at the highest levels to US Special Operations Command, US Army Special Operations Command, and NATO. He is also the lead instructor for US Special Operations Command’s Combating Terrorism course.

The 90-minute presentation and Q&A was absolutely fascinating, but much too detailed to attempt to share via a blog post.  However, I will share the “take aways” and point you to resources if you are interested in hearing more.  Today we’ll look at some general information and who the key pioneers were in the growth of the jihadi movement.  Then, tune in again soon and I will share Gorka’s comments on the US response, and what he believes the strategy should be in countering ISIS and other extremists groups.  So, let’s get started…

General Information Regarding ISIS

• ISIS is successfully recruiting young people from all over the world, including the US. Over 15,000 foreign fighters have been recruited in the past 18 months, and they are often trained, then sent back home to serve the purposes of ISIS.  Imagine Americans trained in terrorism, then very simply re-entering America with their US passports.
• ISIS is the richest threat group in history. To date, they have garnered at least $823 million in bank heists throughout Syria and Iraq, and they bring in roughly $3 million per day in illicit oil sales.  To put it in perspective, al Qaeda spent less than $500,000 on the 911 terrorist attacks.  At that rate, ISIS is currently funded to carry out 1,600+  911-type attacks.
• ISIS has captured much of the American military hardware left to the Iraqis when US troops were pulled out. That hardware has been used extensively against Iraqis, Christians, and others in the region.
• Their understanding of propaganda and social media is unmatched, and they are conducting war via those means.
• In terms of funding, recruiting, violence, and organization, ISIS is not “JV.”  They are a spin-off of al Qaeda, and if anyone is “JV,” they are. (And we boast of taking out bin Laden?)

Key Jihadist Pioneers (those who shaped modern extremism)

• Syed Qutb Shaheed – Egyptian Islamist and leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950-60’s. Extremely critical of the US, he wrote Milestones, in essence, a manual on how to defeat America.  He indicated that Islam is not a religion, but a political movement with a revolutionary goal.  He believed that jihad was the answer and that Muslims were to owe no allegiance to any democracy.
• Abdullah Yusuf Azzam – known as the father of global jihad, Azzam was a founding member of al Qaeda. His primary deputy was Osama bin Laden, who became the leader of al Qaeda after Azzam’s assassination in 1989.  He had a PhD in Islamic law, giving him the authority to issue fatwahs.  He preached jihad and emphasized that it was a universal obligation.
• SK Malik – author of The Qur’anic Concept of War, Malik was a Pakistani general. He believed war is the mechanism to re-establish the caliphate, and that war has nothing to do with nation-states.  He taught that there is only one target in war: the soul of the infidel.  Convert them or kill them.  Thus, the most effective means of war is terrorism.
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – current leader of ISIS. He was once an American prisoner in Iraq, but was released.  He also has a PhD in Islam, so is authorized to issue fatwahs.  Thus, after the ISIS takeover of the Grand Mosque in Baghdad in June 2014, he used that as his platform to declare the re-establishment of the caliphate and himself as the new caliph.  In doing so, he took the name of the first caliph, Abu Bakr.  He has sights set on Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Next, I will share Dr Gorka’s take on America’s response to terrorism, and what he believes the strategy should be in dealing with the threat of ISIS and other radical jihadist groups.  Until then, though, if you would like to hear his comments about the recent terrorist attack in Paris, check out this interview:

Jesus is the answer, dear friends!  Keep looking for the Blessed Hope!