There has lately been much heated debate in Washington as of what action the U.S. plans to take against the Islamic extremist group known as ISIS that has been waging war throughout Iraq and Syria. ISIS began to gain a lot of power and ground in Iraq in early June 2014 as the group swept through the nation terrorizing, and claiming control of town after town.
Detailed Map on the ISIS takeover here.
Earlier this summer on August 19, 2014, an American journalist by the name of James Foley was beheaded on a video that had been posted to Youtube by ISIS, after having been captured in Syria earlier this year on November 22, 2014.The most recent development with the ISIS crisis came a few weeks ago on September 2, 2014, when another video was posted to Youtube of an American journalist by the name of Steven Sotloff, being brutally beheaded by his captors.
This is the second time in the last year that an American journalist has been beheaded by the group as a message meant to demonstrate the groups distaste for American involvement in the Middle East. The message given in the video slaying of Sotloff by a man who goes by the name “John,” who is believed to be a Briton, Jihadist was as follows, “I am back, Obama, and I am back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and … on Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings. Just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.” (www.mirror.co.uk).
Since August 8, the U.S. has launched over 162 airstrikes against ISIS controlled positions throughout Iraq. The Obama administration has called for further military action against the group and has formed a coalition of 24 nations to help combat the threat that world leaders feel ISIS poses.
What is shaping up to be yet another Iraq War the United States will be involved in the nation has surprisingly shown a majority in support for further military action against ISIS. In a recent survey done by the Pew Research Center, “Obama is also enjoying a rare display of bipartisan support from Republicans and Democrats – 64 and 60 percent respectively. Overall, 53 percent of the American public are behind the president with 19 percent disapproving of his plans.” (Nial McCarthy, Pew Research Center, forbes.com).
The mounting violence and death of American and European journalists and aid workers has spurred the world’s leading nations into taking action against ISIS and no longer standing idly by. The next few weeks the talk and debate over yet another American war in the Middle East will continue to heat up. It seems as if another war will soon be looming on the horizon.