A Jihadist Foothold in the Middle East

THese are heady times for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). It controls a wide swath of territory across the two countries in its name and boasts on the Internet of obliterating the boundary drawn by the French and British nearly a century ago. In conquering Mosul and other cities, it has come into possession of a vast trove of equipment, weapons and money to add to the bankroll that already enabled it to wage war with little apparent concern for financial constraints. Foreign fighters, including a significant minority that carries Western passports, flock to its black banner. And for those whom ISIS cannot recruit with ideology or cash, there is the stark reality that, within its domain, opposition means death. Certainly that was the message sent by the group’s massacre of at least 150 unarmed men in Tikrit, publicized by ISIS and confirmed in excruciating detail in a new Human Rights Watch report.