An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 21 The widespread ethnic cleansing of minority groups by ISIS has prompted the United Nations to accuse the group of human rights abuses. Many other members of the international community also criticised the group's actions, particularly after a series of beheadings of journalists and humanitarian workers. The brutal deaths of James Foley, Alan Henning, Steven Sotloff, and others, have provoked outrage throughout the world, from all communities and across all religious divides. These actions also led to the UN sanctioning air strikes against ISIS targets. Iraq, like most Arab countries, is tribal, but unlike most has a Shia majority, even though the country's Sunni minority held power under Sadam Hus- sein's reign. ISIS, which is a Sunni movement, has consolidated its power in areas it has occupied by creating strong alliances with the dominant Sunni tribes in the region, sometimes buying their loyalty, and leaving them in charge of local administration. This tactic allows fighters who would other- wise be needed to defend the occupied areas to continue their advance. The policy also ensures that local populations have little motivation to rise up against it, particularly in the absence of a viable and acceptable alternative. Outside forces find it almost impossible to compete with this approach due to the difficulty of filling the void and forming new alliances with the local communities. The area currently under ISIS control stretches from Minbij, in eastern Aleppo, and Uqayribat, to the east of Hama, in Syria, to the Iraqi town of Jalawla in Diyala province. Intelligence agencies believe that the aim of ISIS is not only to create a hardline Sunni Islamic state in Iraq and Syria, but also in other regions of the Middle East and North Africa. As allied leaders examine the long term ef- fects of ISIS on the world, they have agreed to air strikes against the group's positions. Hundreds of sorties have been flown and bombing missions have killed a large number of fighters. However, according to those on the ground, ISIS has a strategy that it has been employing for over a decade, and they believe that the group can only be challenged through an effective counter strategy that takes into consideration the complexities of the situation on the ground and the inter-tribal warfare that has existed for centuries. In Iraq ISIS, or similar groups, will continue to thrive as long as the formerly dominant Sunni population feel alienated and marginalised by successive Shia-led Iraqi governments. However, the ethnic cleans- ing of Kurds and Shias will not bring Sunni equality but will in fact develop a lasting legacy of hatred between the various factions. As air strikes continue and world leaders enforce embargos on the region, the humanitarian crisis is continuing to spiral out of control, as hundreds of thousands of men, women and children die, not only from the fighting but also from starvation and disease. Shakir Wahib (Abu Wahib), an ISIS leader, standing (left) next to burning cars, at an undisclosed location in Iraq. © AFP Photo/HO ISIS militants Iraqi army tanks in Ramadi. © Reuters Damaged buildings in Ramadi after months of fighting between Iraqi government forces and militants. © Reuters

• Cover