What if al-Baghdadi was killed? In the eyes of the CIA
in the context of attempts to eliminate the organization, and then kill his top commanders.
There is no doubt that the idea put on the table on the basis that the process is not expensive and represents a success for sending troops to invade Iraq and Syria, but if ISIS was actually the most sophisticated al-Qaeda model, we can not only remember that the assassination of the leader of that organization, Osama bin Laden made a lot of conflicting results and left a lot of lessons to the US administration.
The truth is that the assassination is a very complex process that may leave negative repercussions so turn into more dangerous drug than the disease itself, especially if we use this medication without having a clear picture of the disease, which we are trying to deal with it.
We may feel comfortable when we describe ISIS as a bloody and brutal organization, and it will automatically fall because of its ultra thirst for violence and bloodshed, but despite the use of ISIS for terrorist operations on a large scale, but the description of "terrorism" must not blind us to understand the whole picture, which is that ISIS organization expresses clearly am upset Islamic sect, a Sunni hard-line, Sunnis believe that they are exposed to a lot of political losses, and if they do not act to respond , the losses will be more.
Indeed, Sunnis - even though they make up the overwhelming majority of Muslims - but they lost a lot in the past years, the invasion of Iraq, deprived Sunnis from their wealth and their power in the country, what exacerbated the problem for them is America’s handing over power then to a Shiite government that was insisted to revenge from them.
In Syria, the ruling regime, which is dominated by the Alawite minority killed large numbers of Sunnis opponents and in Yemen, another Shiite faction, al-Houthi movement seized the capital Sanaa.
Raids carried out by US planes on al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan must not prevent us to see that there is a Sunni minority - but the number is growing steadily - those organizations see the nearest available option in resistance. Even in Egypt entirely Sunni, the army tries to crush the Muslim Brotherhood, the beating heart of the Sunni political Islam.
There is certainly no American plot against Sunni Islam, but the problem is that ISIS is planted in a sect that see that it is enough, some would describe it as "a Sunni uprising " or "explosion of anger", but unlike the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli authorities, the Sunni wave anger warn that it will be more destructive and stronger, Sunni Islam will move very quickly to the collision with the Shiite counterpart, to explode the possibility of the outbreak of the war for a hundred year.
Although most Sunnis do not participate with ISIS in their jihadist vision that believe in the end of the world, but the coexistence with the Shiites seem an option that loses its attraction say after day, A year ago, when ISIS began expanding between Iraq and Syria, I asked a number of tribal leaders and former Iraqi army men in Saddam Hussein’s era for the reason for not intervening to combat the organization, their answer was that they are ready to have an alliance with any party, including the crazy people of ISIS, in order to expel the Shiite government in Baghdad from Sunni areas.
Some said that separation from Iraq is a serious option, and some even went so far to say that is looking forward to join the Sunnis in Syria and form a unified state, but for jihadists and ISIS, they will face them when the time comes for it.
Using jihadists may seem too dangerous for us, but it shows how deep the gap between Sunnis and Shiites. Militarily we can destroy ISIS and kill its leaders, but Sunni anger will remain present, and other characters will appear to the scene.
Sykes-Picot agreement was founded in 1916, the current borders in the Middle East, across the lines drawn in secret by French and British officials, these borders do not have any relevance at all the demographic and cultural facts, that raises the question of whether there is an interest we have in protecting the border by waging endless wars or through political assassinations.
In fact, we live in what can resemble agony periods of the Ottoman Empire, and if so, the assassinations and the killing of the influential figures during the air strikes will lead us to something.
* Robert Baber, US national security affairs analyst at CNN and former agent in the CIA.