As the noted journalist Paul Wilkinson put it 'Fighting terrorism is like being a goalkeeper. You can make a hundred brilliant saves but the only shot that people remember is the one that gets past you.' Not long enough after the Americans rejoiced the death of Osama Bin Laden, we woke up to see the brutal beheading of American journalist James Foley and the beginning of the rise of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). On 19th August, 2014 no one wanted to believe what they saw.
It has been exactly a year since the video of the beheading gave ISIS what it wanted; attention of the US Government, provoking fear and telling the world to take them seriously. It also brought focus for Jihadi John who beheaded Foley in the video.
The 27-year-old British-born Kuwaiti has become synonymous with terror and brutality. He beheads the hostages on camera, not before giving a chilling message to the nation to which the hostage belongs to. His messages have mostly been anti American and he has personally threatened US President Barack Obama.
Since the killing of Foley, a host of foreign nationals, aid workers and journalists have been victims of John's saber. He carried most of the executions in front of camera.
American journalist Steven Sotloff was executed on 2 September 2014, British aid worker David Haines and Alan Henning were the next victims respectively, Peter Kassig another American was beheaded, the most gruesome video was the beheading of 21 Syrian soldiers in Dabiq, Allepo province. Japanese citizens Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto were beheaded this January after the Japan government failed to pay a ransom of 200 millions USD.
In October 2014 ISIS captured the city of Derna, Libya, the first city outside Iraq and Syria to be captured by the ISIS. In January 2015 Afghan officials reported that ISIS has a military presence in the country. In February the group expanded its base in Libya by taking control of Nofolia and Sirte. In May it took control of Anbar province and has carried out a series of attacks in Egypt.
Today it controls Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. Hatretz.com reported that refugees who tried to flee Libya were slaughtered on their way.
In April 2015, ISIS lost three oilfields in Iraq cutting down a substantial part of their revenue.
Like any other terrorist organisation ISIS takes refugee under religion by invoking apocalypse, swearing allegiance to their leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi; who is seen as the caliphate and justifying gruesome crimes like mass rapes, sex slavery and killing of religious minorities like Yazidis, Christians and even Shias.
Muslim leaders worldwide have condemned ISIS as illegal and un-Islamic. The Telegraph reported last year that Al Qaeda had distanced itself and disavowed their Syrian offshoot, ISIS as the group is too extreme.
The counter offensive against ISIS by various countries, including US and NATO has intensified since Foley's death. Last week US launched its first air strike against ISIS in Turkey.
Although ISIS was partly born out of the injustice done to Sunnis of Iraq in the regime of Nouri Al Maliki and due to the treatment by US soldiers towards Iraqi soldiers and civilians and the history of sectarian violence in the region, nothing can justify the beheading of Foley and others, loss of lives and the refugee crisis which will haunt a generation.
Ten Gruesome Executions by ISIS since 19th August 2014, which shocked the world:
1. After James Foley, a video was released showing the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff in 2 September, 2014.
2. British aid worker David Haines was beheaded on 13 September, 2014. The message in the video targeted British Prime Minister David Cameron. Jihadi John had said, "This British man has to the pay the price for your promise Cameron to arm the Peshmerga against the Islamic State".
3. The most gruesome video was that of the execution of 21 Syrian soldiers. This video in particular, showed in details the beheadings and shootings. It was carried out in Dabiq.
4. Two Japanese citizens Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto were executed on 24 January and 31 respectively.
5. Lebanese Army Sergeant Ali al-Sayyed was beheaded after his capture in the Battle of Arsal.
6. The videos of Hervé Gourdel's execution were released on 24 September, 2014. He was a French citizen. The message in the video said that French President François Hollande is responsible for Gourdel's death.
7. Another gruesome video, perhaps the most brutal one, was that of Muath al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian Air Force pilot. He burned alive by ISIS on 3 January, 2015 This video outraged the entire Middle East.
8. Hujam Surchi was beheaded on 28 January, 2015. He was a Kurdish soldier.
9. A twitter video on February, 2015 showed the beheading of 21 Egyptian masons in Tripoli.
10. On 19 April 2015, two videos, showed militants shooting and beheading two groups of Ethiopian Christians in Libya. There were 30 victims.