Troubling news reports indicate that people from the AF/PAK region are migrating to join a barbaric and ruthless organization that has left no stone unturned in showcasing their brutality and complete disregard for human life. It is shocking to know that after complete awareness of their tactics and methods of disposing off of innocent people, beheading videos, and murdering journalists, anyone would want to be a part of such insanity. Yet we hear of these, for lack of a better term, deluded people from all across the globe joining ISIL. The threat of ISIL is felt in the entire region and we continue to work with regional government s in their support for moderate opposition. We must comprehend the magnitude and the different dimensions of the Syrian equation which includes not only ISIL but also the Syrian Regime. As the U.S. State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki has stated, “It is not only ISIL targeting innocent civilians in Syria. It is also the regime. As the international community works to counter the threat of ISIL, the regime is targeting communities that are also confronting the danger of ISIL and other extremist groups. We condemn in the strongest terms the Syrian regime’s indiscriminate bombing of a densely populated neighborhood in Damascus.”
It is unfortunate to witness that instead of aspiring to become a productive member of society, some really young and impressionable minds are misguided enough that they believe in the sanctity or morality of this group or its activities.
Haroon Ahmad
DET – U.S. Central Command
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