Under current circumstances, it is hard to expect any good news coming from the Middle East, but last weekend US President Donald Trump announced that the notorious leader of ISIS Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi had been killed in a raid by US forces in northwest Syria.
From the moment in July 2014 when he ascended the pulpit of a mosque in Mosul, clad in black robes, to claim a caliphate, Baghdadi was the most wanted and feared man on the planet.
The terror movement soon spread chaos across the Middle East, and inspired attacks in five continents. Most of its victims, particularly in Iraq and Syria, were Muslims and a genocide of the Yazidi minority community was also carried out.
Unlike other terror groups, ISIS had harnessed the power of the internet and encouraged followers from different parts of the world to join them. ISIS fighters carried out mass killings and beheadings until regional powers launched several uncoordinated attacks to strip the group of its territory.
The details surrounding Baghdadi’s death as narrated by Trump are grisly. The ISIS leader died after running into a dead-end tunnel wearing an explosive vest, killing himself along with three of his children. His mutilated body was identified and buried at sea – similar to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Trump believes that the world is a much safer place with Baghdadi’s death. However, world leaders have warned about the remaining threat from ISIS and the lingering scars in the areas where their terror reigned. Russia, Iran, Iraq and even France have stated that Baghdadi’s death has been a blow but the fight will continue against the ideology spread by the deranged terrorist organisation.
The truth is that ISIS remains a danger and the group’s influence can spread particularly in Afghanistan where a clash with the Taliban can wreck havoc on the ongoing peace process. The terror group will struggle to find a replacement for a man who spread more chaos and disorder than anyone else in such a short time.
ISIS was the successor of the Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the regional branch of the Osama Bin Laden led terror group. The ouster of Saddam Hussain robbed the Sunnis of a powerbase, many of whom regrouped to form an apocalyptic cult, descending the entire region into fear and violence.
Baghdadi had a leading hand in much of the disorder the region witnessed since 2013. He praised Bin Laden who was killed by US forces in 2011 and met a similar fate for himself. His deeds will reverberate for decades, but until then the world must remain alert to terror threats.
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