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Reflections on September 11th - ISIS and Foreign Terrorist Fighters

Introduction
Lately, PDRM of Malaysia has detained three (3) suspected ISIS terrorist who are planned to attack by using a grenade or firearms on eve of Merdeka day. The police also seized a K75 grenade, CZ 2075 Rami 2 pistol and 24 rounds of 9mm bullet which were handed over by a courier. These terrorists got the instruction from Mohamad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi to launch the attacks and the Deputy IGP said there is an imminent terrorist attack on Malaysia Day.

Until this moment, around the globe, terrorist attacks were reported in 24 countries and most of attacks either inspired by ISIS or executed by ISIS by itself. The influence of ISIS is not only focusing in creating and establishing caliphate in Iraq and Syria but expanding its sway in other continents as well. In the past two and half years’ number of terrorist attacks inspired by ISIS increased considerably.

Foreign Terrorist Fighters
With the substantial terrain that ISIS has controlled in Syria and Iraq allows to convince foreign fighters that they are going to fight for the legitimate cause. Additionally with the ISIS’s propaganda tools like Dabiq (Magazine), Amaq (ISIS’s own news agency), and videos have played a crucial role to attract foreigners to join force with them to defend the caliphate or Islamic State.

Harry Safro is from Bremen in Germany believing to the call of ISIS and joined them in Syria. Recently he has given an interview to The New York Times regarding with his ordeal as one of the member of elite group of ISIS which is known as Islamic State’s ‘quwat khas’. According to him this group only admitting single men who will infiltrate cities in combats and a major conscripting pools for the external operations branch.

Further he said that since 2014, the ISIS has instructed foreigners who wanted join them in caliphate to return to their homelands. ISIS has predicted that eventually caliphate will be targeted by coalition forces in future and the battleground of war need to be shifted. Therefore to continue with their cause, the frontier will be outside the caliphate. The war against non-believers will be non-conventional i.e. guerrilla warfare.

Even though initially their primary target locations were in Europe especially in France, Belgium, Germany and United Kingdom but it’s also wanted to extend the offensive to other parts of the world. In my view, ISIS’s top hierarchy must have anticipated that eventually they are going to be defeated by Western forces with the help of Russia and other Islamic nations. Therefore to maintain the applicability and relevancy they have to carry on their evil mission outside of their caliphate to show their existence and dominance.

The unit which is going to carry on these types of mission will is called as EMNI. This is the most important unit within ISIS. This is an intelligence unit which has dual roles i.e. as an internal police and an external operations branch. Their principal task is to carry on terrorist offensive abroad. The unit is divided into three branches i.e. Europe, Asia and Arab. Within this unit, there are elite commando units and Special Forces like Jaysh al-Khalifa (the Army of the Caliphate). The unit also has an extensive propaganda operations to promote its supremacy and recruit prospective terrorists. It’s believed that the unit already sent covert operatives who can form sleeper cells in targeted countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Sleeper Cells
Often, the members of the sleeper cells are new converts or people who are outside of the surveillance parameters of intelligence and security forces. These people can tie up between the planners and the executors. To detect and arrest such unknown terrorist is a gargantuan task. 

They are very elusive. Some of them can pretense as a member of security and intelligence forces. Recently two security personnel were detained by Malaysia authority because they are believed to be supporters or sympathizer of ISIS. 

Apart from that, they also can disguise doing some ordinary jobs as a lecturer and trader to facade their identity. They also can pretend as a student of public or private universities until get the instruction from the handlers before they launch any terrorist attacks later.

Conclusion
ISIS threat in this region including Malaysia will be enduring. It’s a notion. The notion is well received by some Muslims and newly convert Muslims. To kill the notion subscribe by the supporter/terrorist/sympathizer of ISIS, the authority need to come with a bigger notion in term of right strategies. The authority have to find ways why ISIS is so attractive to young persons and how they can be upper hand in term of technology to counter and kill off ISIS’s propaganda. It is not any easy task.

Again, the stakeholders of the society need to play their role to help the security and intelligence agencies to overcome this biggest threat. ISIS is a mere cult. ISIS is not representing any religions. ISIS is wanted to control the life of the persons within and outside its’ caliphate’. Therefore, whoever, deals with ISIS need to come out from the religious shadow and refrain from its influence to safeguard the humanity as a whole.


Sources:
www.independent.co.uk
www.britishcouncil.org
www.nytimes.com
www.cnn.com
www.guardian.com
www.aina.org
www.battleofideas.org.uk
www.newsweek.com

Published:
http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/isis-and-foreign-terrorist-fighters/

http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/09/172977/right-strategies-needed-counter-growing-threat

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