Concerns Mount Over Islamic State Creating Dirty Bomb
Brace for another round of Islamic State brutality, as Ramadan begins next week. It’s the holiest time of the year for Muslims, and the ideal time for jihadists to engage in more violence. Ramadan 2015 comes at a time when Australian intelligence is issuing reports saying the Islamic State has possibly collected enough radioactive material from hospitals and research facilities to create a dirty bomb. “For the past three years, ISIS has conducted major offensive operations during the Ramadan holy month, accomplishing its major annual campaign objectives,” writes the Institute for the Study of War. “Its predecessor, al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), had historically also elevated violence in Iraq during Ramadan. ISIS is therefore likely preparing a surge of operations to try to achieve important campaign objectives.” The Islamic State’s propaganda has been playing up the fear of a nuclear attack, saying it could always buy a nuke from Pakistan. Needless to say, the group’s propaganda strategy has always been to peddle in deeper and deeper levels of brutal depravity. After burning people alive, institutionalized sex slavery and beheadings, a nuclear attack is par for the course. And how would Obama respond if the group glassed the Middle East. Thinking through a complete strategy to defeat the group would be a good start.