ISIS launches a new assault but is held off. The U.S. and allies disagrees on ransom payments. And a comic book creator takes on jihadist ideology.
Here’s the latest on the terror group’s movements and the global efforts to stop it:
THE OFFENSIVE
Close call: ISIS fighters launched a major new assault in northern Iraq, but were ultimately repelled. The fighting took place about 30 miles from Irbil, the Kurdish capital, and challenged Kurds already stretched thin in the area. Coalition aircraft were in the area, but weren’t able to help because ISIS and the Kurds were fighting in close quarters. By Wednesday, however, the Kurds succeeded in forcing ISIS back, and airstrikes to begin. There were casualties on both sides.
THE COUNTER-OFFENSIVE
Call-in orders: The U.S. is considering giving moderate Syrian rebels the ability to call in U.S. airstrikes via GPS. It’s part of a U.S. plan to help rebel groups defend local areas from ISIS. But Washington added that, even if that capability is provided, the U.S. wouldn’t aerially bomb areas without additional intelligence, independently gathered.
THE SUMMIT
Nipping radicalism in the bud: The second day of the three-day Summit on Countering Violent Extremism takes place in Washington on Wednesday. The White House has gone out of its way to not name Islamic extremism as its central focus. It says its wary of elevating the terrorists into religious warriors. Republicans and some terrorism experts say the threat from Muslim-aligned radicals should be addressed directly.
THE CAPTIVES
To pay or not to pay?: There’s a “frank” disagreement among allies on hostage ransoms. The U.S. and the U.K. refuse to pay ISIS to free their captive citizens. But France, Italy and Turkey are among those who’ve been accused of ponying up. ISIS has earned nearly $40 million from ransoms, a British diplomat says, and the going rate for a single western hostage has risen to $6 million.
THE ACTIVISTS
The mighty pen: A few years ago, Jordanian comic book creator Suleiman Bakhit started researching extremist ideology and discovered something shocking. “Tthe kids in the West, they grow up on Spider-Man, Batman, Frozen,” he said. “In large parts of the Middle East, kids grow up on jihadist ideology.” For them, the only heroes to look up to were men like Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Bakhit decided to change the narrative. So he created “Element Zero,” a Special Forces operative fighting Islamic extremists.
