U.S. Considers Threat Posed if Islamists Establish State Wall Street Journal (08/30/14) Gorman, Siobhan U.S. officials assessing the Islamic State have begun considering the implications posed by a breakaway extremist state in the Middle East, a reflection of the gravity with which intelligence experts now view the groups advance across Iraq and Syria. Intelligence officials also are scouring for vulnerabilities in the group, including those that could emerge as the group amasses land, manpower and weaponry in its question to establish a state. If the militants are able to hold their territorial gains in the long term, officials said the greatest concern is that the de facto extremist state would provide a base for plotting outside the region, including against the United States. Securing an extremist state in the Middle East would provide footholds to attack every apostate government in sight, a U.S. intelligence official said. It would also legitimize the struggle of Islamist extremists, in their eyes, since before the September 2001 attacks, U.S. officials said. That would aid in recruitment and give the group further momentum and potency. With an eye toward the alarming implications, U.S. intelligence officials said they are assessing the groups vulnerabilities and how to exploit them. Those vulnerabilities include their self-financing. The Islamic State runs a self-sustaining economy that relies on income from oil piracy and extortion, according to Arab and Western officials. But its financial stability as a de facto state could come under strain as the group has to pay salaries to its growing militant ranks and administer the cities it has overtaken, intelligence officials said. The group also relies on extortion among the population in its territory, governing through fear. Such tactics could alienate the groups local Sunni allies.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 19:25:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015