Bolster opposition groups

HAVING begun to turn the corner in the fight against ISIS earlier this year, it’s safe to say that we have now secured significant momentum in dissolving the terrorist group’s “state” project. Although more victories have been won in Iraq, Syria, too, has witnessed ISIS lose a great deal more territory than it has won since mid-2014. It would seem, therefore, that we have much to celebrate.

However, fighting the scourge of ISIS is about more than territorial gains. ISIS’s dramatic recovery in Iraq and expansion in Syria was a symptom of a far more significant threat: the catastrophic breakdown of societies and governance. Nowhere has this been clearer than in Syria, where a ruthless dictator has torn his country apart and contributed to creating a seething sectarian cauldron in which extremists have thrived. Turning tactical gains into durable strategic victories means securing a more representative and stable alternative for societies currently under ISIS control.

The counter-ISIS strategy must urgently acknowledge the role that existing mainstream opposition groups will need to play in assuming at least a shared responsibility for protecting Sunni Arab-populated territory captured from ISIS. These groups first turned their guns on ISIS in late 2013 and forced the jihadist group out of a combined 4¹/2 provinces in 10 weeks in early 2014.

While far from perfect, these opposition groups have much deeper roots in these territories than much of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.