ISIS insurgents have been operating in Chihuahua, Mexico just eight miles off of the U.S. border. Due to the complete lack of police presence, these operatives have been training and preparing to use the railroad system to smuggle terrorists into the United States.
Now, the reaction of most people when reading a story like this is to condemn Muslims. How dare a group of extremists threatened the sovereignty of our great nations? Well, if we take a trip back to the past we can gain some insight on how this group emerged, and why radical Islamic groups continue acting in a hostile manner towards the United States, and other Western powers. Now, imagine your ideal time machine, whether it is a steam-powered vessel, a magic school bus, or the classic blue police box. Imagine the engine roaring to life as we venture back to the roots of ISIS.
It’s hot and sunny; the sounds of a busy market rustle through your ears. The skyline of Cairo looks wonderful. It is1949. European powers have reconsolidated their hold over the Middle East following WWII. Anti-imperialist sentiment has been running hot for decades. In response, Hassan Al-Banna (the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood) has been captured and will be executed for his resistance. Violence is used as a solution in this situation, instead of using a judicial review.
We hop back into our time machine and fast-forward to 1979. We’ve also gone North East, to Afghanistan. The USSR had sponsored the formation of a Pro-Soviet government. Unfortunately, this government has challenged the religious privileges of its Muslim citizens and a rebel coalition known as Mujahedeen, has been fighting to topple the government.
As the rivals of the Soviets, the USA has undertaken Operation Cyclone to supply Mujahedeen fighters with weapons to fight advanced Soviet technology. Cyclone is one of the most expensive operations ever undertaken by the CIA, costing the U.S. tax payers twenty to thirty million dollars per year to equip rebels with fancy stinger missile launchers to fight soviet helicopters. They’ll win, and Mikhail Gorbachev will order the mass retreat of the Red Army.
Back to the time machine, as millennials, we’ve all lived through this next part so we’ll breeze through it. A talented Mujahedeen tactician and idealist will break away from the structure of the old coalition to form his own, Al Qaeda, which literally translates to “The Base.” This umbrella organization will become a hub for a variety of terrorist groups, including the ever so popular Islamic State. Abu Musab Al-Zarqwai will fight against U.S. forces in the region, although most of Al Qaeda will consider his methods too extreme. When he dies in 2006, his supporters will form the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). They will continue military operations and in 2013 the modern ISIS is created. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is currently under the leadership of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. ISIL currently has a foothold in northern Iraq and Syria, but is on it’s way to gaining a stronger foothold in both North Africa, South West Asia, and even Southern Europe.
It seams like there is some sort of pattern; militant groups of religious radicals keep gaining power in the Middle East. How are they doing this? To figure out the answer, we need to hop back in our time machine for a quick second. It’s 2010 in Helmand province Afghanistan, the Third Battalion Marines have just finished locking up a confiscated weapon storage locker. Let’s have a peak inside.
Inside the locker there are over twelve different varieties of Soviet Kalashnikovs, eight different types of WWII era bolt-action rifles, some larger PK machine guns, and some RPG7 launchers. What’s interesting about all these different types of guns, with the exception of the RPG’s, is that they all rely on three different types of ammunition, .303, 7.62 X 39 MM, and 7.62 X 54R. Due to the ease of access to this ammunition, these terrorist cells have had an easy time loading rifles. Since this region has been flooded with guns dating way back to WWI, it’s not hard to come by a rifle that can withstand the test of time.
It’s not a religion here that is breading violence on a massive scale, nor is it an ideology. What we have is a battle for national sovereignty, fueled by Western and Soviet military technology. Since these nations had only used violence to quell resistance, the resistance has answered fire with fire. A certain politician once stated, “power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” In the Middle East, power continues to flourish under those same circumstances.