#IS

It is crucial to plan beyond the short-term military strategy and work to create a new environment in which ISIS or its successor cannot re-emerge.

The current Turkish struggle with IS is a complete reversal from the early years of the Syrian civil war, when Turkey supported opposition against Assad.

While the U.S. and Russia are backing opposing sides in Syria, there are signs the two may join forces to combat ISIS and bring some relief to civilians.

ISIS has abandoned its blitzkrieg-style land grab. Improvised explosive devices, suicide vests, and car bombs have once again become the order of the day.

Taking back Mosul would be a key victory for the Iraqi Army and coalition forces and a disastrous defeat for the Islamic State.

ISIS’s increased activity abroad is a sign of weakness rather than strength: the group has lost around 20% of its territory in Syria and over 40% in Iraq since its peak expansion in August 2014.

On May 3, Singapore announced that it had detained 8 Bangladeshi workers in April for their alleged membership to the Islamic State in Bangladesh and on suspicion of planning attacks.

Terrorism has always been “international”, but what that means has changed as technologies and ideologies have advanced rapidly over the past 150 years.

ISIS’ growing activity has caught the attention of U.S. officials who see no other option than to address the Islamic State threat in Libya with military action.

Lacking outside alliances and with the geopolitical situation slowly starting to tilt against it, Islamic State’s pretensions to act as a legitimate government seem to have its days numbered.

Since preventing terrorist acts is extremely difficult—why take any chances by allowing fighters to return?

One country on the forefront of the battle against the Islamic State is Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, which has over the past year successfully crushed militant cells.