How ISIS And Iraq Upheaval Threatens The Wider World -- Charlie Cooper, Middle East researcher at Quilliam, Special to CNN
(CNN) -- The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken over much of the Iraqi province of Nineveh, including the country's second largest city, Mosul. In the course of doing so, they have released thousands of jihadist prisoners, reportedly taken hundreds of people hostage and -- perhaps most worryingly of all -- fortified their already strong territorial position in the region.
The group has made impressive gains in the last year. Besides this week's achievements, ISIS have come to dominate the international media discourse on the war in Syria and wrested control of the city of Falluja, which, astonishingly, is less than an hour from Baghdad.
We should be worried. This, after all, is a group that was rejected by al Qaeda because of its ferocity. Its mysterious leaders are far beyond the extremist pale, and that they seem to be consolidating a territorial base must be put at the forefront of international counter-terrorism policy.
Read more ....
Update: The siege of Mosul: What's happening? Why is it significant? -- Laura Smith-Spark and Nic Robertson, CNN
My Comment: If this was an internal matter .... I would say let the Iraqis sort this out themselves. Unfortunately .... ISIS has made it very clear that they have bigger plans where they not only want to spread their ideology throughout the Middle East .... but also beyond. With such a mindset .... even if we ignore them .... I suspect that they will remind us (via through terror attacks and/or military actions) that they exist.
As to what will happen next .... there is no question that the Shiite dominated Iraq government has lost controlled of the Sunni Arab regions of the country. This civil war is now going to escalate .... and it will be a sectarian conflict pitting Sunnis against Shiites.
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