ISIS: How Has It Changed and How Can It Be Stopped?  

The Week

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It is now two years since a group of Sunni fighters – known variously as Islamic State, Isis, Isil or Daesh – declared a new “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq.

Experts say the organisation is considerably weakened, but is that just wishful thinking? What is IS now – and how has it changed in the last two years?

What is Isis and how did it start?

The group was regarded by the west as a terrorist organisation even before it began its murderous rampage across the Middle East. Initially called Al-Qaeda in Iraq, it became Isis or Isil in 2013 and then Islamic State after it launched a major offensive in northern Iraq and claimed to have established a caliphate across Iraq and Syria in June 2014. In the Arab world and the US, the derogatory name Daesh is commonly used to describe the group…

But the militants’ recent capture of Ramadi has been described as a “crushing setback” for opponents. The Times says Isis has developed an “unstoppable suicide bomb tactic” using waves of captured US armoured vehicles packed with explosives to break down layers of defences. US-based security company The Soufan Group said more than 30 such vehicles were used to seize Ramadi. There is “little defence” against a multi-ton car bomb and “none” against several of them operating at the same time, said the group…

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To read the full article please click on the link below:
http://www.theweek.co.uk/islamic-state/59001/isis-how-has-it-changed-and-can-it-be-stopped

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