Time to eliminate Islamic State

The Islamic State group invests heavily in public relations. It wants the world to see that it is capable of wreaking havoc in all possible places. The executions it conducts are part of this PR campaign. But this is more than just a matter of propaganda. Islamic State is also interested in geography. The group seeks to conquer and control land, in the most brutal manner. And even though its practices are medieval, Islamic State is now operating just meters across the border from us.

Islamic State recently marked the one-year anniversary of its establishment of a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The group "celebrated" its birthday in the only way it knows how -- by carrying out nearly simultaneous attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait (and a beheading which occurred in France the same day was done in Islamic State style). These celebratory birthday fireworks were visible enough for the entire world to see.

But that was only the preview for what took place on Wednesday, right next door to us in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. One cannot say that the Egyptian government was unaware of the threat. Just two days earlier, Hisham Barakat, Egypt's chief prosecutor, was assassinated by terrorists in Cairo. Egypt is wounded and bleeding and finding it difficult to recover.

The West has criticized Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi for the hard line he has taken against those who threaten his government. But it is safe to assume Israel has a different view of the Egyptian president. During Sissi's time in office, Egypt has turned into our most important partner in the war against terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip and Sinai.

Throughout the Middle East, including in Egypt, Islamic State has become fashionable. With Muslim Brotherhood leaders in jail, young Egyptians are looking for new leaders to follow. And after the downfall of Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011, the northern part of Sinai became a stronghold for Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a Salafi group which in 2014 declared its allegiance to Islamic State and renamed itself Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province). Just like the al-Qaida of old, Islamic State now has no shortage of branches and subcontractors.

So how must the threat posed by Islamic State be dealt with? Of course, the group can be fought wherever it is located. But what is most vital is for the world to realize that the threat is real, concrete and dangerous and that the time has come to wage a serious war against Islamic State, rather than a campaign just for show. A death blow must be delivered to Islamic State in its capital of Raqqa, located in Syria. This would be a good gift to give the group for its first birthday. But this cannot be done from the air. It requires boots on the ground.

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