|
BAGHDAD, Nov. 1-- In a small compound in Syria's northern province of Idlib, eight helicopters carrying U.S. commandos and warplanes attacked early last Saturday the hideout of the most wanted man in the world, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The attack resulted in the killing of nine people, including al-Baghdadi himself, the top leader of the Islamic State (IS), or Daesh in Arabic acronym. The death of al-Baghdadi has been a painful blow to the extremist group, but was seen by analysts as symbolic and short-lived tactical victory in the fight against the group. It is true that the fight against IS group has ended the self-proclaimed caliphate, which once extended in large swathes in Iraq and Syria, but the group's threat will not be completely eliminated, as both the ideology and the splintered remains of its organization will remain strong. Such fact portends the resurgence of the IS if the world states would not overhaul their policies towards comprehensive cooperation. Sabah al-Sheikh, a professor of politics at Baghdad University, told Xinhua that the rise of extremist ideology is partially attributed to Western military interventions in Muslim-dominated regions such as Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. As an example for such intervention, Washington justified its invasion of Iraq in 2003 with claims that the then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had links with the al-Qaida group, which was behind the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as possessed and developed weapons of mass destruction (WMD). | 
