communicable illnesses.” In Iraq, politi-


VIOLENCE Hundreds of people were killed and dozens of ISIS fighters escaped during a week-long battle in January for a prison in northeastern Syria. Days later, ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, above, killed himself when U.S. Special Forces raided his home.


cal divisions, corruption in the security services, and disputed territory have raised concerns that the same conditions that led to the rise of ISIS in 2014 are contributing to its revival. The day after


the attack on the Ghweran prison, ISIS fighters killed 11 Iraqi soldiers at an army base and beheaded a


a rallying cry for ISIS since they are overcrowded, squalid facilities where inmates have little prospect of release or trial. Ghweran houses 3,500 prisoners.


About 9,000 ISIS fi ghters are held in other SDF prisons. Thousands of these captured ISIS


fi ghters are foreigners whose home countries refuse to repatriate them. Thousands of ISIS fi ghters are


being radicalized in the Iraqi prisons where they are being held. In 2021, the State Department


reported that ISIS detainees face conditions that are “harsh and occasionally life-threatening due to food shortages, gross overcrowding, physical abuse, inadequate sanitary conditions and medical care, and the threat of COVID-19 and other


inadequate. A much more robust strategy is needed that includes


investments to get better on-the-ground terror intelligence as well as training and working with U.S. allies to counter surging radical Islamic groups. Most importantly, Biden administration of icials must


recognize this threat as a priority national security issue instead of other frivolous issues it is pursuing — such as climate change —


police offi cer on camera just across the border in Diyala, Iraq.


SURGING THREAT Instability in Iraq and Syria pro- vides terrorist groups with oppor- tunities to recover and expand. Yet both countries remain dangerous for the jihadis due to attacks on their fi ghters and “decapitation strikes” on their leaders by the U.S. and its allies.


This may be why ISIS has sought


to expand elsewhere. According to a State Department


report released in December 2021, “ISIS continued to mount a world- wide terrorism campaign, carrying out deadly attacks globally. “Illustrating the evolving threat, ISIS affi liates outside Iraq and Syria


caused more fatalities during 2020 than in any previous year.” The Taliban takeover of Afghani-


stan in August after President Joe Biden’s hasty and reckless withdraw- al dramatically boosted the radical Islamic movement. Since taking power, the Taliban


has allowed Afghanistan to become a safe haven for al-Qaida, ISIS, and Taliban-affi liated terrorist groups to train and plan worldwide operations. There also are reports of foreign Islamic fi ghters fl ocking there. ISIS appears to have made its most


signifi cant gains in Africa by forging alliances with local militia groups in areas with weak security forces and where major powers are not involved. It has a substantial presence in


Mali and surrounding countries, the Lake Chad region, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique that is likely to spread into adjoining countries. So far, the only factor limiting this


spread has been infi ghting with rival terrorist groups. The newest ISIS African affi li-


ate, the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), has conducted attacks across Africa. In 2021, ISCAP claimed responsi-


bility for 166 attacks that killed more than 600 people. An ISCAP off shoot, the Allied Democratic Forces, has conducted terrorist attacks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo over the past two years.


Fred Fleitz is a Newsmax TV contributor and vice chair of the America First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security.


and cease its politicized rhetoric about domestic terrorism. History shows that whenever terrorist groups such as al-Qaida


or ISIS establish strongholds, they will eventually use them as launching pads to spread their insurgency to other areas, often with major acts of terrorism. There is a high probability of this happening unless the Biden


administration implements much more serious counterterrorism policies to prevent it. — F.F.


MAY 2022 | NEWSMAX 47


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