The main concern in Europe (and indeed the USA) would be ISIS’ ability to mount a chemical weapon attack on their soils. Such an attack, whilst perhaps not a mass-casualty scenario, would rock the receiving country to its very core and promote ISIS to the forefront of CBRN terrorism. The ensuing panic would have a destabilising effect on the target population, and would cause economic turmoil if it targeted a central business district. Whilst this would certainly not be easy, with such a wealth of potential CBRN materials in Europe, it is certainly within ISIS’ capability.
As is outlined in the ‘Communication of the European Commission on a new EU approach to the detection and mitigation of CBRN-E risks,’ there are a series of gaps in our
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ISIS may also attempt to divert some of the chemical agents and use them as the basis for further attacks around Europe. There is a particular danger of radicalized supporters from inside the EU, who could use their position at a company, or insider knowledge of key infrastructure, to launch a potentially crippling attack on anything from a water purification facility to a chemical plant. This happened in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, France, where an ISIS supporter used his post as a trusted deliveryman to drive his car into an Air Products factory causing an explosion designed to disperse noxious chemicals. Similarly, in February 2016, UK police reportedly arrested a man named Mohammed Ammer Ali charged with trying to obtain 500g of ricin, a naturally occurring product from the castor bean which is highly toxic to human beings if aerosolized. These incidents clearly show that CBRN terrorism in Europe is a threat that needs to be taken seriously. It is a problem that will only grow in the coming years, as educated, trained and dangerous ISIS fighters return or are sent home to carry out acts of terror.
For these reasons, it can only be concluded that chemical weapons are the most likely of the CBRN categories to continue to be exploited by ISIS, both in Iraq and Syria, but also in the European theatre. Due to the quantity of chemicals and the scale of storage needed to mount large-scale attacks,
Islamic States of Iraq and Sham ISIS, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, al Qaeda in Iraq, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Islamic State, Da’ish is an active group formed c. 2014. ISIS is a terrorist group that sole purpose is pushing their beliefs on others and if their religion isn’t accepted in the appropriate way (how they expected) they then result to violence. Da’ish is the official name of the terrorist group known as ISIS, dramatically arrived and shocked many people in the West. The horrifying and violent events that have occurred since the appearance if ISIS struck fear into the hearts of people all across the world. Even though fear is an extreme emotion, the hatred that came with it is even stronger and is more Ernest.
Since their desired effect is ‘shock and awe’, WMD would be an attractive option to a cowardly force, seeking to inflict the most psychological and physical effects. Not all attacks require ‘mass casualty’ status to garner attention. According to the National Counterterrorism Council (2008), 11,800 terrorist attacks resulted in 54,000 deaths, injuries, and kidnappings. Excluding the outcome of 9/11, al Qaeda employs close-range attacks and generally inflicts casualties to small numbers. Since overt forces are stronger in the Middle East, I would anticipate a CBRN attack within their homeland, as the indigenous framework of sympathizers and extremists can deliver a larger-scale and better-organized attack. In consideration of Yamin’s (2013) findings, countries with terrorist links, such as Syria and Pakistan have publicly declared they produce and stockpile CBW. If terrorists receive financial backing and political shelter from these countries, there is a possibility of these weapons coming into their
The combination of regular military forces, unconventional forces such as terrorist or insurgent groups, and criminal elements working together towards a common goal is what makes up a hybrid threat. In today’s current political and economic arenas very few of the United States’ enemies could mount an effective conventional military campaign against us. This has caused many of our enemies to turn towards using hybrid threats and tactics in order to further their attacks. The United States must in turn use hybrid tactics in order to defeat its enemies.
There will always be groups who hate another for varying reasons and seek to destroy vice engage in productive activities. Sarin gas is an insidious way to cause death and panic amongst relatively unprotected civilian populations and will continue to prove attractive as long as there is a perceived benefit to using it. Chemicals provide the terrorists with a tool that can cause the death toll of a nuclear weapon if properly employed, but without the need for difficult to obtain fissile material. A chemical attack of any form against a developed nation is going to degrade many aspects of that society as such an attack is not personal in nature, but against an entire
As Muslim extremists battle for supremacy, it has hindered al Qaeda's climb to power. However, the current dominate group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) may be an even more dangerous foe. ISIS openly claimed in 2014, that they had retrieved 40 kilograms of uranium from the Iraqi university in Mosul. (Haines 2014, para.2) The uranium taken is not weapons grade, but could be used to construct a "dirty bomb". The means and will are in place, now it is only a matter of time until means and will are combined with expertise and execution of
Where did Isis come from? Isis came from Egypt and was one of the most important goddess’ of ancient Egypt. Her name is the Greek form of an ancient Egyptian word for “throne.”
Some groups who use chemical and biological weapons is the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq or ISIS and other terrorist groups have carried out attacks in the middle east. According to the Syrian government the
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, most commonly referred to as ISIS or ISIL , is a group formed as a political, religious and military leader over all Muslims around the world. While having one leader, the organization aims to unite all Muslims under a single person. While many followers of ISIS accept the single leader and the violent practices, others have opposing viewpoints. Despite the fact that Islam is an Arabic word which directly translates into the English word of peace, ISIS is being held responsible for many of the human rights violations as well as war crimes that take place in the middle east and around the rest of the world. The United Nations along with the European Union have officially claimed ISIS and the followers a terrorist group. With such a continuously growing hype of ISIS around the world, what effect does it have on the young seventeen year old Muslim girl who just wants to live a peaceful life?
ISIS is a Sunni militant group seeking to create its own state, governed by their interpretation of the Laws of the Quran, and to destroy all other branches of Islam as well as convert or destroy all non-Muslims.
As I'm getting older and the week goes by I'm realizing more that Sundays are the best days. This is the only day that I have the luxury to relax and spend time with my amazing son. I often like to take him to places that would not only be educational for the us both but enhances our bond as well. In the mist of going to school and working full time, spending time with him is compromised by life and day-to-day responsibilites. Despite this, I always ensure to instill in him that family comes first and sacrifices must always be made for the better. This particular Sunday we went to the Brooklyn Musuem. This one eye catching sculpture stopped us in our tracks. I knew that this work of art embodied the core of my being. It illustrated my love
Sadam Hussein used Sarin and Mustard gas against his own Kurdish people and during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980’s (Laub, 2014, para. 23). Aum Shinrikyo carried out an attack using Sarin in 1995 (Fletcher, 2012, para. 1). Sarin was used on the Syrian people in an attack in 2013 (BBC.Com, 2013). Just this month, in the past two weeks, ISIS has become a suspect for carrying out a chemical attack against Kurdish forces (Wagner, 2015, para. 3).
Fear that terrorist could potentially get their hands on Syrian chemical weapons were elevated upon news that Bashar Assad’s military had used chemical weapons against civilians in Syria (Borger, 2013). These actions clearly crossed the “red line” that President Obama had drawn. Speculation on what the
Experts believe that terrorist use of chemical agents is an event with low probability, but potentially high consequences. While terrorist groups may or may not have an increased interest in chemical agent acquisition and use, the domestic vulnerability of the United States to chemical attack remains an issue. Both the United States and Russia have signed and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and are reducing, and eventually eliminating, their chemical weapon stockpiles.1 The possibility that terrorist groups might obtain insecure chemical weapons led to increased scrutiny of declared Libyan chemical weapon stockpiles following the fall of the Qadhafi regime. Experts have expressed similar concerns regarding the
As American citizens, the safety of the United States should be top priority to all Americans Likewise, concern should be with the safety of other nations as well, especially during the crises of today that are acted out by the terrorist group ISIS. That being said, ISIS is a strong, imposing force upon our nation and nations worldwide, which is made evident by the various, brutal attacks they have executed. Moreover, ISIS is a strong worldwide threat that has been increasing its power globally throughout their reign. According to CNN, there have been 143 documented ISIS attacks within 29 separate countries, resulting in countless casualties of people worldwide. One known example is the recent attack in Paris and Brussels where “at least five
For those living in peaceful times, guess what? There’s war going on as we speak. I’m not just talking about little skirmishes one person dies here another there. I am talking about large scale attacks leaving hundreds and thousands of people dead. Terrorists attacks, bombings, ethnic and religious cleansing this all happens every second of every day. Nowhere is this more evident than in Iraq. Iraq is fighting a two-sided battle one against Islamic terrorist group called ISIS and another with its own people. The Iraqi government has just passed a bill that allowed an independent militia the Hashd al-Shaabi to become a legal defence force (Khan,44). They would receive commands directly from the prime minster