ISIS, no more than a leech upon religious conflict.

Tony DeLorger © 2016

As ISIS rides the opportunity of displaced Syrian refugees, so their attacks increase, the death toll rises and no-one can get a handle on it. The Assad regime continue to displace insurgent strongholds and anywhere there appears opposition is turned to rubble and the populations flee regardless of loyalties. As these displaced populations expand out into the world, among them followers of ISIS ready to give their lives for the cause.

Assad soldiers and militants are Alawite at their core, a sect of Shia Islam, backed by Iran, who want to protect their own interests, and by Lebanese Hezbollah, another Shia militant group. The insurgency that turned full on civil war in 2012 is of course Sunni led, the two sides of Islam that have always been at war.

Turkey has suffered most from bombings and the wrath of ISIS, now housing more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees. The most recent suicide bomber killing 10 and wounding dozens more, had just arrived in Istanbul and was not picked up by the terrorism radar. How many more ISIS followers are among this constant stream of refugees? From a humanitarian point of view one cannot ignore these poor souls and families who have lost everything, but who in the end will turn out to be someone who will walk into a public place strapped with explosives and kill in the name of Islam?

Trust is a rare commodity these days, as the world bends for a small group of lunatics who cleverly have infiltrated society, like the old Russian sleepers of cold war era. No-one is safe and all we can do is not become complacent, but step up security on all levels and question everything, because it only takes one slip up for a disaster to unfold.

More than ever the world must unite in dealing with ISIS; there can be no soft touch, but a decided, united campaign to rid this planet of such insanity and disregard for life. A sad but necessary resolution. This is not about religion, but survival.