The U.S battle against the Islamic State has not yet curbed the group's global reach and as pressure mounts on the extremists in Iraq and Syria, they are expected to plot more attacks on the West and incite violence by lone wolves, CIA Director John Brennan told Congress on Thursday.
In a rare open hearing, Brennan gave the Senate intelligence committee an update on the threat from Islamic extremists and shared his views on a myriad of other topics, including encryption, Russia and Syria.
Brennan said IS has worked to build an apparatus to direct and inspire attacks against its foreign enemies, as in the recent attacks in Paris and Brussels - ones the CIA believes were directed by the top IS leaders.
"ISIL has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks in the West," Brennan said, using a different acronym for the group. "Furthermore, as we have seen in Orlando, San Bernardino and elsewhere, ISIL is attempting to inspire attacks by sympathizers who have no direct links to the group."
Brennan said the CIA has not been able to uncover any direct link between the Orlando shooter and a foreign terrorist organization. He said the U.S -led coalition has killed IS leaders, forced the group to surrender large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria and that fewer fighters are traveling to Syria and others have defected.
While the group's ability to raise money has been thwarted, it still generates at least tens of millions of dollars every month, mostly from taxation and sales of crude oil on black markets in Syria and Iraq. He said IS is slowly cultivating its branches into an interconnected global network and that the number of IS fighters now far exceeds what al-Qaida had at its peak.
The CIA estimates there are 18,000 to 22,000 IS fighters in Syria and Iraq - down from about 33,000 last year. The branch in Libya, with between 5,000 and 8,000 fighters, is the most advanced and most dangerous, but IS is trying to increase its influence in Africa, Brennan said. He said Boko Haram is now the IS branch in West Africa and has several thousand fighters.
Brennan described the IS branch in the Sinai as the most active and capable terrorist group in Egypt, attacking Egyptian military and government targets as well as foreigners and tourists, such as in the downing of a Russian passenger jet last October.
The Yemen branch, with several hundred fighters, has been riven with factionalism. And the Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, also with hundreds of fighters, has struggled to maintain its cohesion, in part because of competition with the Taliban, he said (http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/cia-director-us-hasnt-been-able-to-curb-is-global-reach.html).
Is It A Hard Task?
For United States, defeating Islamic State (IS) or ISIS is a hard task because allegedly a members of Islamic State didn't only exist in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Libya and Pakistan, but IS's members or IS's cadre are predicted an exist also in United States, France, Belgium, England, Singapore, Australia and a number of countries.
On IS's perspective, United States and their allies are "a far enemies". Its mean, IS's might be attacked United States and their allies but it will be done by a lone wolves whose are closed allies by IS. For IS's members, United States are their main target because an impact from a freedom of expression also a freedom of religions, in the "Uncle Sam" country as a heaven for LGBT communities or another group's which have a different way of life comparing with an IS's ideology, so that they are a "soft target" for lone wolves whose linked with IS.
Meanwhile, a several Islamic countries which have a hesitate attitude to implement a sharia values or they are rejecting to implement "caliphate" government system in their countries will be attacked by IS's member as "a near enemies". For example, Iraq and Syria were rejected to implement "caliphate" system as a main IS enemy.
As we know together, a terrorism threat is a serious threat for all of humankind. Furthermore, a terror group's are a common enemies for an international communities.
Defeating a terror group is a hard task for all of countries, not only for United States, because except they have a strong militant spirit also ones have a permanent fundrising from global oil black market. Besides, a terror group's have an elemental ideology which has been struggled by them are a Islamic's sharia and a new type of a government bureaucracy called as a global "caliphate".
Battling a global terror group's such as Islamic State must be integrated and coordinated from an international communities. In soft approach, to minimilize a terror's threat could be tried with making a global world in a prosperous, its mean a global economic, social and cultural must be realeased from a major's power hegemony.
Another way is a global education on a multi cultural must be delivered among an international societies whatever their profession. A global education on a multi cultural is an essential way to make each countries have a respect each others. It makes, we always have a proportional opinion on whatever a problems which is faced it.
Earlier, a number of western mass media such as Daily Mirror, Daily Star and Guardian were reported that the top of IS leader Bakr al Baghdadi was dead by a coallision strikes. If the news are true and it doesn't a propaganda and agitation matter, we must be happy because the dead of Bakr al Baghdadi is a good news for global counter terrorism effort. But, a number of security and political observer have opinion that IS will be chose a new leader as soon as possible.
Furthermore, a battle against a terror group's will be taken a long long way to finish. Just only, a global patience, a global endurance and a global cooperation can be defeated a global terror group's and last but not least the essence way to battle a terror threat is a minimilizing government service and policy error's to their society and we need to build a common interest for a respect spirit each other whatever ourselves faith. Finally, whatever done by a global terror eventhough their name "Islamic State", its doesn't reflect a Moslem teachings. Everyone must believe it. Hopefully.
*) The writer is an alumni of post graduate program at the University of Indonesia (UI). His thesis related with a radical group's issue assessment. Resided in East Jakarta.
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Megapolitan 2016
In a rare open hearing, Brennan gave the Senate intelligence committee an update on the threat from Islamic extremists and shared his views on a myriad of other topics, including encryption, Russia and Syria.
Brennan said IS has worked to build an apparatus to direct and inspire attacks against its foreign enemies, as in the recent attacks in Paris and Brussels - ones the CIA believes were directed by the top IS leaders.
"ISIL has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks in the West," Brennan said, using a different acronym for the group. "Furthermore, as we have seen in Orlando, San Bernardino and elsewhere, ISIL is attempting to inspire attacks by sympathizers who have no direct links to the group."
Brennan said the CIA has not been able to uncover any direct link between the Orlando shooter and a foreign terrorist organization. He said the U.S -led coalition has killed IS leaders, forced the group to surrender large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria and that fewer fighters are traveling to Syria and others have defected.
While the group's ability to raise money has been thwarted, it still generates at least tens of millions of dollars every month, mostly from taxation and sales of crude oil on black markets in Syria and Iraq. He said IS is slowly cultivating its branches into an interconnected global network and that the number of IS fighters now far exceeds what al-Qaida had at its peak.
The CIA estimates there are 18,000 to 22,000 IS fighters in Syria and Iraq - down from about 33,000 last year. The branch in Libya, with between 5,000 and 8,000 fighters, is the most advanced and most dangerous, but IS is trying to increase its influence in Africa, Brennan said. He said Boko Haram is now the IS branch in West Africa and has several thousand fighters.
Brennan described the IS branch in the Sinai as the most active and capable terrorist group in Egypt, attacking Egyptian military and government targets as well as foreigners and tourists, such as in the downing of a Russian passenger jet last October.
The Yemen branch, with several hundred fighters, has been riven with factionalism. And the Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, also with hundreds of fighters, has struggled to maintain its cohesion, in part because of competition with the Taliban, he said (http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/17/cia-director-us-hasnt-been-able-to-curb-is-global-reach.html).
Is It A Hard Task?
For United States, defeating Islamic State (IS) or ISIS is a hard task because allegedly a members of Islamic State didn't only exist in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Libya and Pakistan, but IS's members or IS's cadre are predicted an exist also in United States, France, Belgium, England, Singapore, Australia and a number of countries.
On IS's perspective, United States and their allies are "a far enemies". Its mean, IS's might be attacked United States and their allies but it will be done by a lone wolves whose are closed allies by IS. For IS's members, United States are their main target because an impact from a freedom of expression also a freedom of religions, in the "Uncle Sam" country as a heaven for LGBT communities or another group's which have a different way of life comparing with an IS's ideology, so that they are a "soft target" for lone wolves whose linked with IS.
Meanwhile, a several Islamic countries which have a hesitate attitude to implement a sharia values or they are rejecting to implement "caliphate" government system in their countries will be attacked by IS's member as "a near enemies". For example, Iraq and Syria were rejected to implement "caliphate" system as a main IS enemy.
As we know together, a terrorism threat is a serious threat for all of humankind. Furthermore, a terror group's are a common enemies for an international communities.
Defeating a terror group is a hard task for all of countries, not only for United States, because except they have a strong militant spirit also ones have a permanent fundrising from global oil black market. Besides, a terror group's have an elemental ideology which has been struggled by them are a Islamic's sharia and a new type of a government bureaucracy called as a global "caliphate".
Battling a global terror group's such as Islamic State must be integrated and coordinated from an international communities. In soft approach, to minimilize a terror's threat could be tried with making a global world in a prosperous, its mean a global economic, social and cultural must be realeased from a major's power hegemony.
Another way is a global education on a multi cultural must be delivered among an international societies whatever their profession. A global education on a multi cultural is an essential way to make each countries have a respect each others. It makes, we always have a proportional opinion on whatever a problems which is faced it.
Earlier, a number of western mass media such as Daily Mirror, Daily Star and Guardian were reported that the top of IS leader Bakr al Baghdadi was dead by a coallision strikes. If the news are true and it doesn't a propaganda and agitation matter, we must be happy because the dead of Bakr al Baghdadi is a good news for global counter terrorism effort. But, a number of security and political observer have opinion that IS will be chose a new leader as soon as possible.
Furthermore, a battle against a terror group's will be taken a long long way to finish. Just only, a global patience, a global endurance and a global cooperation can be defeated a global terror group's and last but not least the essence way to battle a terror threat is a minimilizing government service and policy error's to their society and we need to build a common interest for a respect spirit each other whatever ourselves faith. Finally, whatever done by a global terror eventhough their name "Islamic State", its doesn't reflect a Moslem teachings. Everyone must believe it. Hopefully.
*) The writer is an alumni of post graduate program at the University of Indonesia (UI). His thesis related with a radical group's issue assessment. Resided in East Jakarta.
Editor : M. Tohamaksun
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Megapolitan 2016