An Indiana University instructor says while members of the Islamic State, or ISIS, are very disciplined, they aren't capable to carrying out their plans right now.
A panel discussion on Friday at Western Michigan University is titled, The Islamic State Its Origins, Aims and Capabilities. It will feature Jamsheed and Carol Choksy. Both are on the faculty at Indiana University. Carol Choksy, is also the CEO of IRAD Strategic Consulting. She told WMUK's Gordon Evans that the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL doesn’t have a long history, but grew out Al Qaeda in Iraq. It has also has roots in Syria. She says their aim is to the have their own country, and recreate an Islamic state known as a caliphate.
The U.S. has bombed oil facilities controlled by the Islamic State and worked with Turkey, the Kurds and others to shut down smuggling in the region. Choksy says that has shut off much of ISIS’s finances. She says the Islamic State has also used extortion from kidnapping to raise money. But Choksy says fewer reporters and other foreigners have traveled to those areas.
Choksy says the U.S. also worked with Gulf states to change their banking regulations which has also cut off some of ISIS' funding. Choksy says that has left ISIS weaker financially. But she says they are still capturing weapons, mainly in Syria, with some in Iraq.
In the web version of the interview Choksy discusses that the next steps might be to further weaken ISIS. She says it's important to address the different problems in Iraq and Syria. Choksy says it will require a long-term solution in several steps.
