{UAH} SIS sleeper cells remain a significant challenge post liberation
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As ISIS falls apart many onlookers are asking what is next for the group and its militants.
ISIS sleeper cells remain a significant challenge post liberation
The danger of ISIS sleeper cells remains a key threat despite the near-end of the group's territorial presence in Iraq and Syria
As the so-called Islamic State falls apart across Iraq and Syria, many onlookers are asking what is next for the group and its militants. ISIS is all but militarily defeated following losses in Mosul, Tal Afar and Hawija in Iraq, and in Raqqa, Deir ez-Zour and Albu Kamal in Syria. But fears are emanating about the future manifestation of ISIS, and where, when and how it may emerge again.
These concerns mirror those after 2008, when ISIS' former iteration Islamic State in Iraq (ISI), then commonly known as Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), was defeated by the Sahwa or Sons of Iraq that were led by Sunni Muslim tribal forces.
Following this defeat, many of ISI's militants went underground or into foreign countries such as neighbouring Syria to regroup and reformulate plans to undermine state stability and cause civil unrest. The potential for this regrowth reached its highpoint in late 2010 when the Arab Uprisings began in Tunisia, and ultimately spread throughout the Middle East, allowing groups like ISIS to exploit the political and social vacuums in some of these countries.
Today, fears are painting a similar picture. With territory reclaimed from ISIS, the group is expected to go underground and reemerge. Many onlookers have warned of ISIS militants embedding themselves among civilians following defeats in various towns and cities in Iraq or regrouping in other regions. Prominent among these are the areas around Diyala and Salahuddin Provinces, especially around the Hamrin mountains, with attacks on neighbouring towns commonplace, particularly in Tuz Khormato.
Alongside military defeats, key to defeating a potential resurgence will be the provision of security and state services like water and electricity, as well as heightening the pace of reconstruction. And while these have returned, in part, to some areas of Iraq, the scale of destruction in other parts remains a prominent issue and a large hurdle following ISIS' three-year long tyrannical rule and scorched earth policies in the country.
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