Does Killing Terrorist Leaders End Their Organizations?

ISIS 'minister of war' al-Shishani likely killed in airstrike. Abu Omar al-Shishani. © Al-Itisam Media / AFP

Melissa Etehad, L.A. Times: Killing terrorist leaders doesn't necessarily wipe out their organizations. In some cases, it fuels more violence

Amid recent speculation about the fate of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi, U.S. officials were quick to say they had no idea whether Baghdadi was dead or alive.

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, nevertheless, told reporters the deaths of such extremist leaders inevitably represent substantial blows against the groups.

“To take out leaders of these kind of organizations always has an organizational impact,” Mattis said during a July 14 news conference. “It has an impact. … It always does in war.”

Killing leaders of terrorist groups has been a centerpiece of U.S. counter-terrorism strategy at least since President George W. Bush launched the “war on terror” in 2001.

The number of military strikes against terrorist leaders increased and expanded under President Obama’s administration with the killing of both senior and junior terrorist leaders in places including Pakistan, Yemen and Iraq. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, for example, was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011.

Analysts don’t expect the policy of targeting militant leaders to change under the Trump administration.

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WNU Editor: There have been a few cases in the past where killing the leadership ends the war .... but most wars as a rule will only end when one side realises that continuing the war is futile. In the case of the war against radical Islam .... the belief that God is on your side makes the enemy a formidable foe, and failure to understand the religious component to this conflict over concerns on not alienating those who believe in moderate Islam has complicated this war. In the end .... for this conflict to end .... it will be the moderating forces of Islam that will stop this centuries long conflict when they are able to convince the more radical elements that this never-ending war is useless .... unfortunately .... since 9/11 these differences have exploded into the wars that we are now seeing throughout the Middle East, Afghanistan/India/Pakistan, the Philippines, and many parts of Africa, and they show no signs of ending.