IS-PSEUDO STATE?



THE so-called Islamic State is a fallout of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Before that, it was only a small group of Sunni extremists. Now, it has almost 30,000 fighters, it governs a territory and expands, its followers coming from different countries. Can counter-terrorism stretagy work for this pseudo-state?

The IS is not like Al Qaeda. It controls territory, it has a large number of followers, it is self-financed, it attracts youths easily and, most importantly, is present in urban areas. Al Qaeda was different and not stronger like the IS is.

It earns $1 to 3m a day through crude oil that it sells at low prices and everyone — Syria, Iraq, Turkey or Jordan — buy it. The IS kidnaps, takes ransom money, loots public properties which it invades, empties the banks, and has different resources of finance.

The so-called collateral damage has already created a new phrase like: ‘kill one and beget two free.’

The US is not in a position to wage a new war against the IS. Its public would resist the action in view of the upcoming elections next year.

The so-called Islamic State is a threat to the whole world. All powerful actors on the planet — the US, Russia, China, France and Middle Eastern countries — should come together to make a strategy and roout out the IS. At least a different diplomatic strategy of containment can work, not a counter-terrorism strategy at all.

Zuhaib Ahmed Pirzada

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015