Domestic Terrorism and Extremist Groups

The study's goal is to examine the present threat posed by extremist groups to national and international security. The article focuses on militant and diplomatic responses to cross-border terror acts. The research focuses on two known and lethal terror organizations, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The study focuses on Al-Qaeda and ISIS's past, present, and future attempts and plans to combat extremism. The two groups were formed at separate political, economic, and social times, and they hold opposing radical ideas and techniques to attain their goals. The article examines the two groups' organizational culture and composition. In the past three decades, the extremist groups have become a real-time as several groups aim to subvert the rule of law and affect change through not only violence but also fear. Terrorism has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands in several parts of the globe in the past decade. The ever-growing outreach of extremist groups indicates the fundamental need to analyze the operations of notorious units and the efficiency of counter responses used so far and strategies to use in the future to erase terrorism.

Research questions

Extremist groups are individuals that hold extreme political or and religious views and often employ fear and violence to achieve their objectives. The study aims to answer the questions; have the past and current counter-terrorism responses been efficient? If not, how can national and international communities improve their current strategies? The research also seeks to assess the organizational culture and composition of Al-Qaeda and ISIS, how they are similar or different, and the most effective counter-response for each group.

ISIS

The extremist group is officially known as the ISIS, Islamic State of Iraq and al-sham, formally ISIL. It is the most notorious radical group in the globe and holds and controls parts of Northern Iraq and western Syria. It is currently the greatest terrorist threat to the entire global community. In 2015, the group carried out attacks in more than 250 different cities in the world and were responsible for more than six thousand deaths in that particular year(Scharf , 2016). The group has rendered hundreds of thousands of salves, maimed and homeless since its formation in 2002. The team believes in the extreme enforcement of Sharia law. They believe in the apocalyptic vision which shows that they will bring paradise on earth by acquiring and controlling certain territories. As such their objective is to conquer land to form the massive Islamic state. The group was initially founded by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and encourages terrorist activities against western countries(Spencer , 2016). The organization funds their activities through several of their legal and illegal trade connections such as selling slaves, drugs, and oil. When ISIS took control of more than thirty percent of Syria and Iraq in2014, they acquired vast oil fields and armaments, bank assets and antiquities. Obtaining the necessary funding quickly raised their status as an extremist group. The group takes advantage of advancement of technology and large audience that social media provides to promote their activities through posting of gruesome images and videos.

ISIS operates as a quasi-state rather than a typical terrorist group. It holds territorial claims in Iraq, Syria and some parts of Libya. In August 2014, the US together with other Arabian countries launched an attack against ISIS. The war against ISIS changed international law related to attacking non-state actors in other nation without the consent of the government. The US launched thousands of bombing sorties and cruise missiles on ISIS territories in both Iraq and Syria. While the Iraqi government had approved a foreign military intervention against ISIS in the country, the Syrian government did not and maintained that air strikes in Syrian territory without government consent is in violation of international law(Scharf , 2016). However, the US held that airstrike against ISIS was justified by a right of a humanitarian mission to a failed state and a mere self-defense action on behalf of the Iraqi government. While the view was initially opposed, many countries including Russia, China and the United Kingdom, the increased popularity of ISIS in 2015 prompted many countries to share the US perspective. Under the international law, a state could only launch an attack on another state with the particular state consent or Security Council approval or when acting in self-defense.

Many critics hold that the strategies that were previously successful in countering liberal and organized extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda will not be successful in the case of ISIS due to their organizational structure. ISIS hold territories and operates as a state with vast funding, a military base, armaments at their grasp and an organized leadership structure. Their strategies so far indicate an intelligent decision-making entity(Spencer , 2016). As such, a counter-response against ISIS should entail coordinated attack against an operational government rather than a mere terrorist group. While the current military actions in Iraq and Syria has resulted in considerable reduction in the number of fighters sworn to ISIS, the success has led to an increase in “lone-wolf” terrorist attack style in many western countries cities(Pellerin , 2016).

To efficiently counter ISIS is to destroy their classical military that holds physical control on territories that the group has gained and reducing their political power. The team has showcased that it can transform military command to governmental authority and a strategy to defeat ISIS must break the structured leadership and their military and political operations. As such the containment strategy is likely to be useful in the long run since it will prevent ISIS from gaining more territory while weakening their ability to manage the areas they currently control. The US previous strategy to erase the threat of ISIS once and for all is unrealistic since ISIS is likely to rise again within months I the event of defeat. Moreover, Western countries must reinforce counterterrorism barriers in their countries.

Al-Qaeda

The group was established by Osama Bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam among other militants. The group’s objective is to unite all Muslims across the globe in a global jihad through harsh and extreme interpretations of Sharia law. Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for several major terrorist attacks since the early 1990s(Harper , 2010 ). Al-Qaeda and ISIS were initially allies until ISIS declaration of a caliphate in Syria which seemingly threatened to replace Al-Qaeda relevancy as the global jihad. Al-Qaeda is known for formation of many affiliates in different parts of the world including the recent Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, Al-Qaeda in the Islam Maghreb among others. Unlike ISIS which is more focused on acquiring territories, Al-Qaeda has been known to launch attacks to several western cities though suicide-bombers since they believe western culture is against their visions of a global jihad.

The strategies used against Al-Qaeda have been successful in reducing the group’s control. However, the end goal of counter-terrorism tactics is to rid the globe of extremist groups which have not been achieved since Al-Qaeda is still operational. The killing of more than 35 key leaders of the team since July 2008 including the loss of the leading militant, Osama bin Laden, thanks to the unmanned drones has reduced the operations of the extremist group efficiently(Rineheart, 2010). Similarly, reports indicate the treasury techniques used have been efficient in lowering Al-Qaeda financial capabilities. However, in the past few years, Al-Qaeda has formed affiliates in countries such as Somalia, Pakistan, Algeria, and Yemen among others indicating the use of identifiable strategy.(Rineheart, 2010) Al-Qaeda continues to embrace techniques which may appear fruitless but has the potential to cause destruction and deaths while increasing their longevity.

Al-Qaeda’s strategies are adaptive the tactics employed by the US are somehow shortsighted focusing on the benefits and adverse effects of short-term or lung run commitments rather than addressing the issues that a sustainable counter-terrorism strategy at an international level will encompass. The approach that will manipulate Al-Qaeda strategies will involve changing the facts on the ground to prevent the aspect of Al-Qaeda taking advantage of socio-political circumstances to find recruiters and funders that further fuel extremist views and the longevity of the group(Reed , 2015). It is fundamental to the international community to adjust their counterterrorism attacks as Al-Qaeda changes their tactics and ideologies.

It is essential for the traditional tactics used in counter-terrorism such as the structured debate on military action and criminal justice be adjusted to the current realistic movements that accompany terrorism. For the global community to ultimately defeat the extremist group, it is fundamental to supplement and complement counterinsurgency with informed counterterrorism actions.

Method and Research Strategy

To support the literature review, I used various research methods which helped in coming up with logical arguments and empirical evidence. There were the specific terms which guided me in deciding the articles that I would choose when conducting the research.

The key words are: extremist groups, terrorism, counter-terrorism, Al-Qaeda and ISIS

I used qualitative data which I retrieved from five articles that I searched online. The first article by Harper provided the approaches which are being used by the United States to counter the terrorist acts by Al-Qaeda. Pellerin wrote on the methods used to communicate on terrorism through the strategy introduced by ISIS. Reed provided information concerning the Al-Qaeda movement group, their leadership, the belief in jihad and holy war and the terrorist activities they have been involved in for a long time. Reinhart provides data on methods of countering terrorism. Scharf provides more information on the war against ISIS and how it changed international law. Spencer gives a close look at terrorism, such as the involvement of women and how they assist in conducting the terrorist activities.

To determine the credibility of the five articles, I used Google scholar to choose among various articles. There were lots of journal articles and books covering terrorism and extremist groups written from long ago. I decided to choose the most recent since they are updated, more reliable and credible.

Analysis and Findings

Al-Qaeda and ISIS are the most notorious terrorist groups internationally. They are recognized due to the massive killing of innocent people and destruction of property without minding the cost. The formation of the Al-Qaeda and ISIS groups differ on the social, political and economic times and thus are operated using different strategies and tactics to achieve the objectives. These extremist groups operate in an organized manner and are guided by an established culture, and over time, the terrorist groups are able to use violent to inflict fear and violence among the people as their main aim is to subvert the rule of law as established by the government (Rineheart, 2010). The fear is not created in the nation where the terrorist groups operate alone but also in other nations internationally thus creating the need to come up with methods to counter the terror acts and provide safety and security for the people.

The the groups known as extremists are guided by people who have specific religious or political views and can only use fear and violence to make other people follow their ideology. The ISIS is made of the Islamic States who are guided by the belief that their God is superior and only he should be worshipped. The Al Qaida groups are also guided by religious beliefs of fighting a holy war against those who do not follow Allah. Men have been associated with terrorism for a long time, considering that women are not regarded as significant among the Islamic states. Research, however, indicates that women play a crucial role in helping conduct terrorist acts. Since they cannot be detected, women can carry weapons such as bombs carefully in their clothes which cover them complete ensuring that no person is able to detect them. They are also used to pass information to the leaders of the terrorist groups, a method considered safe as no person can retrieve the message in comparison to when the phones are used (Scharf , 2016).

The terrorist groups are deadly, for instance, in the year 2015, the ISIS conducted their terror attacks in more than 250 different cities internationally and were held responsible for the deaths of more than six thousand deaths in a single years. ISIS was formed in 2002 and since then, thousands of lives have been lost due to their activities, lots of people left with permanent injuries and others left homeless. The two groups ISIS and Al-Qaeda believe that every person should follow the Sharia law and thus the harsh enforcement measures. Their religious believes concern the apocalyptic vision where paradise will be brought to earth through conquering and controlling various territories. Therefore, these extremist teams concentrate on acquiring as much land in the Islamic states as possible. However, despite attacking even their own people when conquering the land, the terrorist groups believe in uniting all Muslims internationally in a global jihad by ensuring that they follow the Sharia law requirements (Spencer, 2016). Unlike ISIS, Al-Qaeda has formed affiliates with other terrorist groups all over the world which makes it easy when they are carrying out their terrorist activities. ISIS mostly focuses on acquiring territories instead of forming partnerships. Attacking the cities and nations which do not believe in Islamic laws has been done through suicide bombers as seen in the American and British attacks by the Al-Qaeda group.

The governments of different states have been involved in fighting terrorism in different ways. Some of the strategies have been successful while others have failed. Countering terrorism activities was introduced with a single goal of getting rid of the extremist groups which divide people against religious, political, economical or social groups thus causing tension among these groups which might result in conflicts or war. It is hard to completely do away with the groups considering that they will still lay low for a certain period of time and then attack when the government expects least. One of the approaches is killing the leaders of the terrorist groups, and since July 2008, more than 35 leaders were killed including Osama bin Laden, the main leaders of the Al-Qaeda group. The other approach is reducing the financial support the terrorist groups get by ensuring that the nations supporting them are warned and their relationship cut. Traditional tactics are also applied in countering terrorism, for example, where structured debates are held on adjustments of criminal justice and military action, through creating realistic movements which will help fight the terror attacks (Reed , 2015).

America is the nation which has been affected by terrorism largely. Every attempt to stop the terrorist groups is followed by attacks from the extremist showing the government that they have all the resources to attack back and ensure that they weaken the nation. The groups plan on how to conduct the attack, such as when there are social or political disagreements, and the government is preoccupied with solving the interior problems. America could not fight the terrorist alone and thus formed partnership with European and African nations which are affected. Through the combined efforts, they are able to destroy the basis of the terrorists such as in Syria and Iraq thus weakening the terrorists (Pellerin, 2016). The attackers, on the other hand, do not give up as they believe that they are fighting a holy war and even if the terrorists were to die in the process, they would rise in eternal life as they were fighting according to Allah desires.

The terrorist acts have worsened the relationship between the Muslims and other people in areas such as America and Britain. The Muslim students, for example, find it hard to fit in the society as they are always considered suspicious of terrorist acts. It has led to protests. Where the Muslims state that they are not all terrorists and terrorism has no religion. Other activities such as business and cultural interaction with the Muslims are made hard due to terror between the Muslims and non-Muslims (Harper , 2010).

Conclusion

The extremist and terrotist groups have posed threat and insecurity nationally and internationally. Nationally, they take over lands such as Syria and Iraq so that they can establish their base. They are guided by the religious idea of conquering as much land as possible as it will help bring heaven on earth. Internationally, the terrorist group attack other nations through bombing them thus causing loss of lives of property. the terrorists form groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS which are culturally structured to operate in globally. The ISIS group concentrates mostly on the Islamic states while Al-Qaeda is forming partnerships with other groups so that they can assist bombing other nations. The group even recruits people who are not Muslims, then turns them to Muslims, educate then on Sharia law which they believe in abiding by and train them to participate in the holy war. The two groups believe that only Allah should be worshipped and through enforcing Sharia law, they are able to unite Muslims internationally.

Women play a crucial role in helping conduct the terrorism acts. Men have been associated with terrorism for a long time, considering that women are not regarded as significant among the Islamic states. Research, however, indicates that women play a crucial role in helping conduct terrorist acts. Since they cannot be detected, women can carry weapons such as bombs carefully in their clothes which cover them complete ensuring that no person is able to detect them. They are also used to pass information to the leaders of the terrorist groups, a method considered safe as no person can retrieve the message in comparison to when the phones are used.

America is the nation which has been affected by terrorism largely. Every attempt to stop the terrorist groups is followed by attacks from the extremist showing the government that they have all the resources to attack back and ensure that they weaken the nation. The groups plan on how to conduct the attack, such as when there are social or political disagreements, and the government is preoccupied with solving the interior problems. America could not fight the terrorist alone and thus formed partnership with European and African nations which are affected. Through the combined efforts, they are able to destroy the basis of the terrorists such as in Syria and Iraq thus weakening the terrorists.

It is hard to completely do away with terrorism. It would require the powerful governments of the world to work together by helping the affected nations and ensuring that these groups do not receive funding, thus slowing down their terror activities.



References

Harper , J. (2010 , June 30 ). US Counter-terrorism strategy and Al-Qaeda. Retrieved from Coto organization and publications : https://www.cato.org/ us-counter-terrorism-strategy-al-qaeda

Pellerin , C. (2016). Communicating Terror: An nalysis of ISIS communication strategy . SciencePo Kuwait program , 1-18.

Reed , A. (2015). Al-Qaeda in Indiansubcontinent: A new Frontline in the Global Jihadist movement. International centre for counter Terrorism -The Hague, 3-25.

Rineheart, J. (2010). Counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. Perspectives on Terrorism .

Scharf , M. (2016). How the war against ISIS chnged intrnational law. Case Western reserve Journal of international law, 1-55.

Spencer , A. N. (2016). The Hidden face of Terrorism: An analysis of Women in the Islamic state. Journal of Strategic Security.