The first Friday of Ramadan was a bloody one indeed, with three major attacks on three continents, coming even as a major ISIS attack on the Kurdish city of Kobani was leaving nearly 200 civilians dead. A bombing claimed by an ISIS affiliate on a Shi’ite mosque in Kuwait killed 27, 39 more were killed in a strike by apparent ISIS gunmen at a Tunisia resort. Another attack, in Paris, left one man dead.
Of the three attacks, only the one in Kuwait has been conclusively linked to ISIS, and the suspect in the French strike was a Salafist, but killed his boss, so it may have been coincidental timing. Still, these attacks are fueling growing international fear about ISIS’ considerable reach.
ISIS has made considerable territorial gains over the past two years, carving out a “caliphate” across both Iraq and Syria, and holding roughly half of the entire area of Syria. They hold oil-rich territory, cities of millions, and are about to issue their own currency.
Ramadan is a popular time for Islamist factions to launch attacks, particularly on foreigners. It is not, then, necessarily surprising for there to be a number of attacks during the first Friday of Ramadan, nor does it indicate any coordination amongst them.
ISIS did, however, issue a statement at the start of Ramadan calling for attacks throughout the holy month, in particular calling for attacks against Shi’ites and “apostates.” Even those attacks they didn’t necessarily launch directly, they may have provoked.
It’s not clear, however, whether a coordinated series of ISIS attacks is any worse than the growing capabilities among Salafist factions simply leaving them able to casually launch their own major attacks seemingly anywhere in the world.
ISIS is by far the largest Salafist faction now, but by no means the only one. Al-Qaeda has been growing in recent months as well, carving out their own state-let in Syria, and using the Saudi war in Yemen to seize new territory within that country.
The capability of these factions to launch attacks anywhere, not just in Islamic countries but in Western nations as well, points to their growing capability the world over. As the number of wars against ISIS and the other factions grow, so too does their ability to recruit abroad, and their capability along with it.
Do we really know that ISIS perpetrated these attacks? Could they be false-flag setups?
Oh I was about to post exactly the same question….but you beat me to it, rats!
I rather doubt ISIS has much interest in the far abroad. They have enough fun to set up their little medieval bastard freakshow in a geographical area that is of historical interest to them and that is in dire need of cleansing according to their deranged minds. They MAY consider the iberian peninsula and everything up to Vienna to be included in the show a bit later.
Take a breath, Mr Ditz. It's not quite time to panic. Characterizing one guy acting alone as a "major attack on a third continent" is just silly.
How many people did Uncle Sam kill yesterday? How many refugees created by US policies died yesterday, while trying to escape the madness?
When ISIS assembles an invasion fleet with thousands of armored vehicles, tens of thousands of troops, and hundreds of aircraft, wake me up.
It should be noted that the extensive Muslim immigration into Europe, where they live as second class citizens has, pre-ISIS, created the conditions for social disruption. Add to that the rise in the West over the last 10 years of vigorously overt Islamophobia and demonstrations of anti-muslim sentiment such as insults to the prophet and you have plenty of provocation for a violent response from independent Muslim actors. Lone wolves are not exclusive to the United States. Consequently, ascribing far-flung acts of Muslim violence to Isis, is a bit of a reach unless one is actively seeking to build the next anti-Western boogeyman.
I was kind of surprised when Obama declared that they got rid of OBL, with the boogeyman gone what would be the justification of all that huge expense. Little did I know that it will take them practically no time to create a new boogeyman. The public is so gullible that it doesn't need much effort.
I wrote this in response to Jeff Davis, but I guess the reply button is not working as it used to.
When Saudi Arabia started their religious propaganda in Europe by building theur kind of religious centers than sending their barbarians beheading innocent people in Yugoslavia, wher Bill Clinton and Madeline Albright were doing their job by being against people's democracy and their politics were based on being the enemy of socialism, when Bush regime, a neo fascism invaded Iraq destroying the country, when Obama and Europe neo fascism including that Swedish king, the English David Cameron the German Angela Markell and other far right government influenced by Israel demanded for Syrian government to be disbanded, when they destroyed Libya and etc, etc, hence, although Isis is a barbarians system based on neo Islamic fascism and no matter if they are built by former saddam Hussein officers or whatever the news. These barbarians are the result of a idiotic foreign policies both by Europe and usg which still doing the same idiotic job by supporting Saudi kingdoms, gcc and other dictatorship regimes as they go along with their militarism regime policies thinking that such adoption is their savior. Let the Syrian, Iraqi, and the Iranian to deal with Isis and all other terrorists in middle east, help these government where they can and have the will to destroy these barbarians once and for all.
This is in response to Mojo: Let us not forget that the Yugoslavian crisis was created by Serbian's massacre of hapless Bosnians. Whether they were doing it in the name of communism or nationalism such barbarism was needed to be stopped. Clinton made the right decision and Saudi Arabia had not much to do with it. As for rise of ISIS the policies of the current regimes of Syria and Iraq are as much to be blamed for it as anyone else. Of course US invasion of Iraq is the root cause, as it destroyed the Iraqi forces which were quite capable of dealing with the groups like ISIS.
This has more to do with the war propaganda than real ISIS reach. Granted ISIS has considerable force within Iraq and Syria but them taking 'credit' for the terrorist attacks around the globe does not mean much. Characterizing these attacks, carried out by a single person or a small group, as a 'major strikes' is pure sensationalism. Would you find any journalist hyping White supremacist threat by calling the attack on the black church a major strike?
No doubt. ISIS is just the soup of the day that is being used to keep the machine funded. Be very afraid as always.
Islaamist (Peace) factions do not launch attacks. They moved from an originally pacifist position to one of libertarian self-defense. http://www.minaret.org
The collide of culture didn't start with the creation of ISIS, it started when European and U.S. Neo fascism wanted to lead the worlds culture, the people's poverties didn't start when U.S. Fundamental and rooten capitalism started stealing from people, it started when the corrupted politician started taking bribes from capitalism. Neo and old fascism is no longer identified as a concept of a rule or group or ideology, such idea is developed into a new social concept and used as a tool to destroy what mankind have achieved. Racial motivated killing in USA is no different than ISIS beheading people, killing by drone, economic hardship, killing people in Libya, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere for countries strategic and economical importance, letting young man and women from Europe and America to die in such premeditated, orchestrated wars for capitalism is no different in what these created barbarians do, the difrent is the culture of two world, one modernized the other is from Stone Age.