World


ISIS Comeback Raises Fears of Terror in U.S.


Biden’s weak policies dramatically boost the radical Islamist movement as it recovers and expands.


A BY FRED FLEITZ


lmost three years after President Donald J. Trump infl icted massive defeats on ISIS in Iraq and


Syria, the terrorist organization is making a comeback. It has established a signifi cant


presence across Africa that is spark- ing violence throughout the conti- nent.


ISIS is the world’s predominant


terrorist organization, signifi cantly larger and more infl uential than its predecessor, al-Qaida. Al-Qaida, however, remains a dangerous organization and is also


undergoing a resurgence. ISIS’ eff orts to rebuild since 2019


have been facilitated by an unstable security environment in Iraq, Syria, and African countries, and a lack of interest in the West. Although the killing of ISIS leader


Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi on Feb. 3 during a U.S. Special Forces raid dealt the terrorist organization a setback, the Biden administration’s counterterrorism policies are weak. Its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as its distrac- tions with Ukraine, Taiwan, North Korea, and Iran, have weakened pressure on radical Islamic terror-


America Needs a Tougher Strategy A


lthough Americans do not want to send more troops to fight terrorists in far-off areas where we have no strategic


interests, or support a new “war on terror,” this does not mean the United States should not have a robust counterterrorism strategy. The lack of such a strategy has created opportunities that ISIS and other groups are exploiting.


46 NEWSMAX | MAY 2022


ist groups, accelerating their growth and increasing chances of terrorism in Europe and the United States.


PRISON ATTACK In January, a bold ISIS operation against Ghweran prison, located in a northeastern area of Syria controlled by the largely Kurdish Syrian Demo- cratic Forces (SDF), illustrated the increased sophistication of ISIS. A week-long battle for control of


the prison killed hundreds. It was the most intense urban combat involv- ing American soldiers in Iraq or Syria since the ISIS caliphate fell in 2019 and included car bombs, ISIS sleeper cells, and suicide bombers. Ghweran and other SDF-run pris-


ons in Syria have become breeding grounds for Islamic extremism and


They think the West no longer has the will to fight terrorism,


especially in areas with few political or economic interests, such as sub-Saharan Africa. The Biden administration’s “over the horizon” strategy to


confront terrorist groups from a distance with drone strikes and little intelligence or collaboration with U.S. allies is woefully


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