Terrorism is one of the worst-case-scenario that every community has to suffer. When you smell the threat of terrorism, you are sure that your life will be at risk due to the dangers that can be caused by the attacks made by terrorist groups. After the Cold War, the Western coalition was not informed about the creation of another threat that has been responsible for causing another chaos to affected areas in the Middle East. These are issues that have been responsible for causing incremental damage to communities where terrorist activities are taking place.
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| Terrorist group differences |
ISIS and Al Qaeda are the two of the most dominant terrorist groups in the world. These are responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of civilians as well as injuring over millions around the world. Since the beginning of the 21st century, they dominate the world by propagating suicide bombings in some of the most populated areas in our community. Car bombs, mass shootings, and planting improvised explosive devices to areas that are known to be populated by the general public. Both groups have the ideology to create and propagate mass destruction against all societies, especially in western areas. They have one main distinctive identity, which are caused by their falsified religious campaign such as establishing jihad to the affected parts of the world. Terrorists are all Muslims, which is why people from the Middle East as well as Islam followers were the center of discriminative acts.
Difference between ISIS and Al Qaeda
1. ISIS
Since 2010, affected countries are reportedly being alarmed by the rise of one distinctive group that has been responsible for propagating violence. ISIS is known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Other term includes ISIL that is termed as Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. This group is considered to be the largest terror network in the world. ISIS is also the wealthiest terrorist group than any other terrorist organizations.
ISIS was previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq, which is a new rebel group that aims to establish a new caliphate in the country. The caliphate originated in the northwestern portion of Iraq and then started to invade downwards, until reaching Baghdad in 2010. In 2011, the Islamic State of Iraq started to advance westwards, invading Syria when it discovered that Assad is losing control over its territory against the rebel forces of Syria.
This terrorist organization is considered the fiercest among all other terrorists in the world. Every day, hundreds of fighters invade communities then kidnaps women to be their bride and their children to be future ISIS fighters. Anyone resisting their commands will be publicly executed by any ISIS fighters, creating a traumatic experience for the victimized communities to experience shock and horror made by the group.
Southeast Asia has been already declared as a new caliphate province by ISIS, due to the grants made by the ISIS headquarters towards sympathizers in the region. Indonesia holds one major terrorist group that has been responsible for carrying out Paris-like terror attacks in Jakarta. While the Philippines is also concerned about its existing terror group, which is the Abu Sayyaf that has already pledged themselves to ISIS. These means that the growth of ISIS network is slowly creeping over the region that makes Southeast Asia a high-risk zone for tourists and foreign visitors.
2. Al Qaeda
This group emerged in 1999 headed by Osama Bin Laden, who made worldwide fame when he led the attacks on September 11, 2001 in the United States that killed more than 3,000 innocent lives. The United States became serious about the threat of new terror that successfully replaced the global problems affected by Cold War season. Other western nations established homeland security law that aims to protect their country from the threats of future attacks that can be initiated by Al Qaeda and its affiliated groups operating around the world.
Since the United States tightened its security force, it started its international campaign to identify the source of terrorism that is now causing coercive actions around the world. Western countries have discovered that all terrorist threats are originated in the Middle East. This is in particular to Afghanistan and Pakistan but extended their networks when various local terror groups pledged their alliance with Al Qaeda.
Today, Al Qaeda is losing its steam because most localized terror groups prefers to join with ISIS. Although they fund their fighters, not all fighters are being given with the same financial credits being given by ISIS with their fighters. Groups that made alliance with Al Qaeda should seek for an alternative way to earn and become productive while they still engage in terror activities to their targetted areas.
Al Qaeda also have a flag, but it is not as distinctive as ISIS because most fighters do not use it as their dominating symbol, everytime that they will establish an attack to a certain place. They dominate a certain area of land and establish a new territory, but they do not create new provinces that is in contrast with today's ISIS' mission while terrorizing a certain local community.
This terrorist organization is still active in the Middle East and Africa, while they are already losing steam in Southeast Asia and South Asia. Al Qaeda is believed to further decrease its supporters due to the existence of ISIS. But if ISIS will be completely destabilized sometime in the near future, local terror networks from around the world will return supporting Al Qaeda or to start supporting their own groups.
