The Brutalities of the ISIS

Waging jihad to establish Islamic caliphate, the ISIS emerges as the most fearsome and well funded terrorist organization in the world. Its ferocity and determination have made it conquer large swath of lands in Syria and Iraq. During a battle Iraqi security forces fled from engagement leaving behind large quantity of weapons given to them by the Americans. The bonanza of American weapons and their initial military victories were a big boost to the morale of the ISIS fighters.

The advance of the ISIS has displaced thousands of indigenous population. Its onslaught created a flow of refugees in Northern Iraq and the Turkish borders. The ISIS which is mostly composed of Sunnis is at odds with the local Shiites, and armed confrontations are common occurrence between them. Conquering an area, the ISIS militants give the minorities such as the Christians and the Yazidis to convert to Islam or be killed. In areas that fell under their control after a military operation, the militants imposed harsh actions to the local populace. Women and children are separated from the men. The men including older male children are then killed execution style. The method of execution includes shooting, beheading and crucifying. Captured or kidnapped women are then raped or made as sex slaves. Selected young women are gifted to ISIS commanders as “wives”. Captured children are trained to become “holy warriors” or suicide bombers.

The US and western nations airstrikes have given the Kurds, the Iraqi security forces and other local militias a breathing space to deal with the ISIS. The Peshmerga the Kurdish armed forces which took the brunt of the fighting were able to recapture lost grounds. With US air support and weapons supplied by France and other European nations' the Kurds stalled or halted the ISIS advance into their territory.

Getting back at the Americans, the ISIS beheaded two American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in an effort to intimidate them and their allies. France which is active in the campaign against the terror group was also given a warning that its citizens will be targeted.

Despite the US air strikes, the ISIS militants have shown their superiority over local adversaries especially the Iraqi security forces. In the middle of September 2014, ISIS militants besieged an Iraqi army unit guarding a strategic supply route in Western Anbar. Suicide bombers dressed as Iraqi soldiers on bomb-laden Humvee vehicles drove through an army camp and detonated the bombs into the Iraqi soldiers’ positions. The explosions inflicted heavy casualties to the surprised Iraqi army. Amid the chaos and confusion that ensued, the militants then assaulted and overran the camp and killed as many as 250 Iraqi soldiers. Those who were not killed were captured or were able to escape. It is estimated that the Iraqi security forces lost about 500 of its troops that are listed as either killed or missing in that battle.

The brutalities of the ISIS have made some leaders and clerics of Muslim world such as Saudi Arabia to denounce the group. They stated that the group’s actions are disgrace to the Islamic faith and are not compatible with the principles of Islam. And that the ISIS does not represent the Muslims. Putting their money where their mouths are, Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain with Qatar in supporting role have joined the coalition of countries that conducted airstrikes against the ISIS in Syria.

Kurdish Female Warriors Take on the ISIS

Flag of Peshmerga

With its military victories in some parts of Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State or ISIS is able to control large swath of land on said countries. Members of the militant group are known for their ruthlessness wherever they are. They forced minorities such as Christians and Yazidis to convert to Islam or be killed. There are reports of mass rape of women and of abduction and of making them sex slaves to the militants.  Captured women are married off to the militants or are sold as bride for as low as $100. Caught enemy combatants are beheaded, crucified or tortured. Even the Al Qaeda is appalled with the extreme brutalities of the ISIS. The king of Saudi Arabia and some Muslim clerics have denounced the atrocities of the ISIS and call their actions as not compatible with Islam.

   

Lately, the Iraqi security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters with US air strike support are able to slow down ISIS advance and are able to retake strategic areas that were captured by the ISIS. The Peshmerga or “those who confront death” is the security force of the autonomous region of Kurdistan. In the recent conflict it is in the forefront of battling the well armed, well funded and highly motivated ISIS militants. It also take up the cudgel for their fellow Kurds including the Yazidis to protect them from the militants who consider them as “devil worshippers”, and are therefore a fair game for persecution.

Members of Peshmerga forces include women, and an all –women Peshmerga Battalion is in the frontline against the ISIS militants. The reported violations of some Kurdish women by the ISIS militants made many women that include the youth and housewives to volunteer for military service. As combatants the women can help protect their homeland and stop the ISIS militants from making them booties of war if their village is overrun. 

For the terrorists it is ironic that women who they think are inferior to men are challenging them in the battlefield.  It is believed that this ruthless group considers it to be a worse nightmare for a jihadist to fight female enemy warrior. They believe that they would be denied entry into paradise if women killed them. Indeed the Kurds know the mindset of the terrorists and turn their absurd beliefs against them.

A Cry for Help from the Yazidis

Photo credit: Funk Monk  

The civil war in Syria and the withdrawal of American forces in 2011 from Iraq saw the emergence of rebel and other armed opposition forces determined to topple down the regime of those countries. Of the rebel groups the Islamic State or (IS) is viewed as strongest threat not only to said countries but also to their neighbors. The IS defeat to the Iraqi security forces in Mosul have provided them sophisticated weapons and equipment that were left behind by the American forces to the Iraqis.

Inspired by its initial victories, the Islamic state pushed into the Kurdish territory in Northern Iraq and held strategic places there. Its biggest gain was the capture of the Mosul Dam. With that crucial infrastructure in its hand, the IS could control the water supply, electricity and could even flood the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and its surrounding areas. The capture by IS of territories with oil fields will also provide them with money to buy armaments and finance their operations. It is the aim of the Islamic State to establish a caliphate in Iraq, Syria and the Levant. And its initial military victories on the ground are indication that IS is a serious threat to the region that should not be taken lightly by the Middle East and western leaders.

With their radical interpretation of Islam, the Islamic state fighters who are Sunni Muslims are at odds with other Muslim groups like the Shias who they consider as deviant Muslims. They are also hostile to minority groups such as the Christians and the Yazidis. The presence of the IS in Shia majority or controlled areas results to armed confrontations with local militias that are opposed to them.

Caught in the crossfire are the minorities Christians and the Yazidis. The Islamic State considers the Christians as People of the Book or people who along with the Jews were mentioned in the Bible . At the hands of the IS Christians can either convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax. If they are unwilling to choose either of those options they should leave the place or be killed. The Yazidis on the other hand are considered as “devil worshipers”, and as such they are given the choice to convert to Islam or be killed.

The Yazidis are part of the minority Kurdish community in Iraq. They are ethnically Kurds but they differ with the majority Kurds who are mostly Sunni Muslims. Unlike other Kurds, the Yazidis practice a monotheistic religion that is derived from Zoroastrianism, an ancient religion that predates the founding of Islam. Generally, the Kurds are distinct from other Iraqis because they are not ethnically Arabs.

When forces of the Islamic state pushed into Sinjar, tens of thousands of the Yazidis took to the road to avoid them. Some sought refuge to the mountain of Sinjar. However, in the mountain there were no foods or water, and without outside assistance they would starve to death. They could not descend the mountain either because they fear of being slaughtered by the Islamic State.

To protect American military personnel stationed at the Kurdish region from threat posed by the Islamic State and to avert potential genocide to a minority group, US President Barrack Obama authorized the airdrop of foods and water to the trapped Yazidis on the mountain. Islamic State targets were also being pounded by fighters, drones and bombers to help the Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish peshmerga fighters thwart IS advance. Reports have it that the peshmerga and Iraqi forces have already retaken the crucial Mosul Dam, a claim that is denied by the IS.

The Yazidis are ethno-religious groups that are threatened of being driven away from their ancestral land and of extinction. There are reports of mass executions and brutalities such as beheading, burying people alive, abducting and kidnapping of women and children that are being committed by members of the IS.

The United States, France and the United Kingdom have expressed willingness to help the minorities and send arms to the Kurdish and Iraqi forces to contain the onslaught of the Islamic State. If the Islamic State could successfully establish a caliphate in Iraq, Syria and the Levant, they could bring that entire region under its influence and control. The world community should join hands to nip in the bud the growth of this ruthless group since it could threaten not only the peace and stability of Middle East but also the whole world.