November 16, 2015

Mourners pay their respects at one of the attack sites in Paris, November 15, 2015. Credit: © Benoit Tessier, Reuters/Landov

Last Friday night, November 13, Paris was rocked by a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that left more than 129 civilians and 7 terrorists dead. Hundreds of civilians were wounded, some very seriously. French President François Hollande called the attacks an “act of war.” The Islamic State, or ISIS, took responsibility for the massacre. President Hollande closed the borders to France and issued a curfew for Paris and a state of emergency for the entire nation. 

The attacks began when one bomb was detonated outside the Stade de France, the national sports stadium, just north of the city limits of Paris. A soccer game was in progress between Germany and France, with 80,000 people at the stadium at the time, including President Hollande. The president and other fans were safely evacuated. About 5 minutes after the first attack, gunmen opened fire on patrons at a bar and a restaurant, both near the Place de la Republique. Soon after, the deadliest attack of the night took place at the Bataclan theater—a beautiful building dating to 1865 with a Chinese-style facade (front). The theater, just east of the Bastille, was holding a sold-out concert by an American rock band, the Eagles of Death Metal. Terrorists entered the theater and began shooting AK-47 assault rifles into the crowd of some 1,500 people. The terrorists then gathered up some 100 people to hold as hostages. French security forces stormed the Bataclan soon after, but the terrorists detonated explosive vests, killing themselves and 8 hostages. Eighty-nine people died at the Bataclan.

The Paris attacks came after two earlier attacks by the Islamic State in as many weeks, causing experts to fear that the group’s coordinated influence is spreading. On October 31, a Russian airliner crashed in Egypt, killing all 224 people aboard. (On November 16, Russia confirmed that the plane was brought down by a bomb planted in the plane’s cargo hold.) Russia had recently entered the fight in the Syrian civil war against both rebel groups and the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the crash. On November 12, Islamic State bombings in Beirut, Lebanon, killed more than 40 people. The bombs were set off in a Hezbollah stronghold; the group has been fighting in the Syrian civil war on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and against the Islamic State. France has been active in the fight against the Islamic State as well.

Paris had been on high alert since January 2015, when Islamist gunmen attacked the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Eleven people in the building were killed. The attacks took place over three days and resulted in the deaths of 20 people in total. Millions of people in France demonstrated to show solidarity for free speech. France then deployed thousands of soldiers around the nation to safeguard against further attacks. In August, an attack on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris was thwarted by tourists who stopped a would-be terrorist with an AK-47 rifle. 

On Saturday, November 14, police in Belgium stopped a car that had been used in the most recent attacks in Paris, leading to raids and arrests in Belgium as police searched for accomplices. A manhunt for more attackers was also underway in France. On Sunday, French warplanes launched air strikes in retaliation on the Syrian city of Ar Raqqah, the Islamic State’s de facto capital. The French strikes were reported to have hit a command center, a training facility, and an arms depot all belonging to the terrorist group. 

October 23, 2015

Early yesterday, October 22, U.S. Special Forces and allied Kurdish troops rescued 69 captives from an Islamic State (also known as ISIS) compound in the northern Iraqi town of Hawija. The prisoners, like so many others in the hands of the Islamic State terrorist group, were about to be killed in a mass execution. Kurdish security forces—known as peshmerga (Kurdish for those who confront death)—asked for help to rescue the prisoners, and the Special Forces responded.

Five U.S. helicopters—similar to the Marine helicopter pictured here—flew U.S. and Kurdish forces to and from the raid in Hawija. On the return trip, the helicopters also carried 69 freed prisoners and 5 Islamic State captives. © Summer Dowding, Department Of Defense

To aid in the fight against the Islamic State, a small number of U.S. troops deployed (were sent) to Iraq in an advisory role last year. Anticipating the need to expand that role, the number of U.S. troops in Iraq has since steadily increased to some 3,500. Thursday’s raid marked the first official time that American troops had fought alongside local forces against the Islamic State. The rescue mission was an overwhelming success, but it cost the life of one American, a 39-year-old Army master sergeant from Oklahoma. The U.S. soldier’s death in action was the first in Iraq since the Iraq War ended in 2011, and the first U.S. combat fatality in the fight against the Islamic State. More than 20 Islamic State militants died in the raid, and 5 others were captured. American officials were quick to point out that the raid was an isolated rescue mission, a “unique circumstance,” and not a change in tactics.

Hawija lies in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, some 30 miles south of the city of Kirkuk. Kurdish and Iraqi forces have been battling Islamic State militants in the area since 2014. Many thousands of people have died in the area’s fighting, and many others have become prisoners of the Islamic State. As is well known by now, people captured by the Islamic State are often massacred.

October 5, 2015

The ruins of Palmyra in central Syria are being systematically destroyed by the terrorist group Islamic State. © Styve Reineck, Shutterstock

In 2015, the news from Palmyra, an ancient city in Syria, is often dark. Yesterday, October 4, the Syrian minister of antiquities, Maamoun Abdulkarim, confirmed that the Arch of Triumph, a monumental icon of Palmyra’s  2,000-year-old Roman ruins, had been destroyed by the terrorist group Islamic State (also known as ISIS). Islamic State captured Palmyra in May 2015, and preservationists at that time worried that the ruins of the once-great caravan city would be harmed. Before Palmyra fell, archaeologists (scientists who study of the remains of past human cultures) moved as many statues and other portable objects as possible to a safe location to prevent ISIS from selling them on the black market to fund its operations. Largely for shock value,  ISIS has destroyed many of the immovable large objects left behind. The fear of destruction also drives up prices for smaller objects they have found and hope to sell.

Since ISIS took Palmyra, they have wasted no time destroying priceless ruins. In August, the group used explosives to destroy the Temple of Baal Shamin. Dedicated to a Canaanite god, the stone temple was built around 100 B.C. The Temple of Bel, dedicated to a Mesopotamian god and dating to A.D. 32, was also destroyed in August. Most shockingly, an 83-year-old Syrian archaeologist, Khaled al-Assad, was murdered by ISIS on August 18 for refusing to reveal the location of art treasures removed from the city and hidden. In September, the group destroyed funerary towers (tombs), that were built between A.D. 44 and 103.

Palmyra was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. The organization called Palmyra “one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world.” Sadly, the ancient city’s importance fades with every cruel obliteration of its storied past.

Other World Book articles

• ISIS Gains Control of Ancient City of Palmyra (A Behind the headlines article)
• World Heritage Site

October 1, 2015

Russian airstrike in Syria. (Credit: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation)

Today, for the second day in a row, Russian warplanes launched airstrikes in Syria against terrorists and rebel opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia had openly built up troops and military equipment in Syria over the last few weeks, intending to help Assad—a staunch Russian ally—end the 4-year-old civil war in Syria. More than 200,000 people have died in the conflict, and millions have been displaced.

Russia’s entry into the mix only complicated matters, adding yet another factor into an already confused tangle of alliances and interests. Civil war erupted in Syria in 2011 following the failure of pro-democracy protests to change the autocratic regime of President Assad. Rebel groups rose up against Assad, but also against each other. The chaos created a void exploited by such terrorist groups as the Islamic State, which itself had risen from the chaos of war in neighboring Iraq.

The Syrian conflict is also sectarian, pitting rival Shī’ite and Sunni Muslims against each other. Iran and Lebanon, both predominantly Shī’ah, have aided Assad, a Shī`ite Alawite. Most of the rebels are Sunni, the dominant Islamic division in Syria. There are also Kurdish rebels fighting in Syria (Kurds are the area’s largest ethnic minority), as well as rebels with solely political aims to remove Assad from power.

In 2014, the scene became even more muddled as the spread of the Islamic State led the United States and its allies—including many Sunni Middle Eastern states—to take action in Syria as well. U.S. and allied airstrikes have since been hitting Islamic State-controlled areas in both Syria and Iraq. France, Jordan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are among the U.S.-led coalition, which, aside from squashing the Islamic State, wants Assad removed from power.

So, not wanting to be the only nation left out, Russian entered the fray as Assad’s only non-Shī’ah ally. No one minds Russian warplanes hitting terrorist positions, but they have also been hitting anti-Assad rebels regardless of who they are or who is behind them. This includes groups that been trained and supported by the United States. There is a common goal: rid the world of the scourge of the Islamic State. But beyond that, there is little in common.

This was highlighted on Monday, September 28, by the vastly different speeches on the Syrian quagmire given by both Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama at the United Nations (UN) general assembly. Putin pushed for Assad, and Obama pushed against the Syrian dictator. Russia has more in mind, however, than simply propping up Assad. The ties between Syria and Russia are long standing, and Russia has sold weapons and military equipment to Syria for decades. In addition, a Russian naval base in Syria gives the Russians access to the Mediterranean Sea.

Other World Book article

• Syria: The Roots of a Rebellion (a Special report)
• Syria (2012-a Back in time report)
• Syria (2013-a Back in time report)

August 20, 2015

Ruins of Palmyra stand in central Syria. This ancient city thrived more than 2,000 years ago as a major stop for caravans and is rich in archaeological treasure. This week, Islamic State (ISIS) murdered the city’s chief archaeologist when he refused to lead them to art works hidden in the city. © Styve Reineck, Shutterstock

The Islamic State (also called ISIS or ISIL) is a terrorist band, guilty of such crimes as blowing up innocent people at markets and mosques. The group also slaughters people by the thousands, people who resist, people they consider to be “infidels” (religious nonbelievers).

Like so many other terrorists, the Islamic State needs headlines, and they need money to continue their activities. Typically, plundering Syrian and Iraqi oil gets ISIS enough money to fund their campaign of terror. But oil wells are merely stacks of cash. Stealing and selling oil doesn’t make the news and it does little to infuriate or inspire. The Islamic State touches a nerve, however, with their next most profitable way to finance their war: Antiquities. Antiquities as in ancient structures, priceless historical objects, the very record of human history. The destruction of priceless antiquities gains ISIS huge amounts of news coverage. It serves as a tool for recruitment, appealing to angry and desperate young people eager to “make a difference” in the world.

So the terrorists—like bulls in civilization’s china shop—destroy ancient ruins and show their actions on on social media. But they are clever. Behind the scenes, the Islamic State protects the true gems of the ancient world, and they sell them on the black market (illegally). It may be that by destroying large antiquities that are not very portable—such as buildings and statues—they increase the value of the more portable items they want to sell. Of course, those gems aren’t always easy to find.

Enter 83-year old Syrian archaeologist, Khaled al-Asaad. Asaad’s hometown of Palmyra is an ancient caravan stop and home to some of the world’s greatest archaeological treasures. The Islamic State captured Palmyra—and its caretaker, Asaad—in May 2015. Since then, the terrorists had attempted to force Asaad to reveal the locations of his city’s truly priceless items that had been hidden before the city fell to the terrorists. Tired of his obstinate refusals, the Islamic State murdered Asaad on Tuesday, August 18. They cut off his head in a public square. They hung his decapitated corpse by the wrists from a traffic light. Asaad died a true martyr. Not a martyr to Islam, for his killing had nothing to do with Islam or religion. But, a martyr to greed fueled by the tragically misguided intentions of the Islamic State.

Other World Book articles:

• Islam (2014-a Back in time article)
• Syria (2014-a Back in time article)

March 18, 2015

A terrorist attack at the Bardo National Museum, located in Tunis, left 21 people, including 2 gunmen, dead. In the central section of Tunisia’s capital, near the nation’s parliament building, the museum holds an important collection of Roman mosaics and is one of the major tourist draws in Tunisia.

The interior of the Bardo museum in Tunisia, where a terrorist attack occurred on March 18, 2015.

The attack by masked gunmen killed 17 German, Italian, Polish, and Spanish tourists this morning. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it did occur one day after the Tunisian government announced the seizure of a large cache of weapons from an Islamist group.

Since Tunisia’s revolution during the Arab Spring movement of 2011, the small north African nation has managed to avoid violence. Tunisia’s first secular (nonreligious) government was seated in February 2015. On a video from 2014 featuring three Tunisian men fighting for Islamic State (ISIS), the men warn that Tunisians cannot be secure “as long as Tunisia is not governed by Islam.”

Other World Book article:

• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a Special report)

March 11, 2015

The Iraqi army, aided mainly by forces from Shi`ite militias and Iran, have come close to retaking Tikrit, a strategically important Iraqi city. Tikrit has been under the control of the Islamic State (ISIS) since June 2014. Tikrit is one of four cities—the others being Baghdad, Baqubah, and Ramadi—that form the Sunni Triangle, an area populated mostly by Sunni Muslims that was the center of heavy resistance against the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraq War (2003-2011). Anti-ISIS Sunni militias are also aiding the effort to liberate Tikrit.

Islamic State (ISIS) fighters during a military parade shown in propaganda photos released by the militants in 2014. Credit: © Alamy Images

The offensive to retake Tikrit began on March 2. After more than a week’s fierce fighting, Iraqi forces finally penetrated ISIS territory. The fighting involved around 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and allied Shi‘ite militia. Yesterday, Iraq announced that large areas of the city had been recaptured. North of Tikrit, Kurdish forces are also fighting ISIS, so the group is being hemmed in from several directions. The United States sat out this fight, uncomfortable with the use of Shi`ite militia in a heavily Sunni area. Some experts feared that the sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shi`ites, especially after a massacre of Shi`ite soldiers by ISIS last summer, makes revenge killings by Shi`ites against Sunnis a danger in the area. The next step is for Iraq to retake the city of Mosul, where ISIS has killed thousands of people and destroyed numerous ancient artifacts, often with bulldozers and explosives. Since early March, ISIS has also destroyed the  Assyrian sites of Nimrud and Khorsabad and the Parthian site of Hatra.

Other World Book articles:

• Iraq (2014-a Back in Time article)
• Iraq War

March 2, 2015

Colossal statue of a winged lion (lamassu) from the palace at Nimrud of the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II. He reigned from 883 B.C. to 859 B.C. The photo was taken in around 1860. (Credit: © Shutterstock)

Last week, the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) posted a video to YouTube showing members from the group destroying ancient art works at a museum in Mosul, Iraq. ISIS has held the town of Mosul since June 2014. Some of the artifacts destroyed by ISIS were plaster-cast reproductions of art works in the British Museum in London. Other pieces destroyed on the February 26 video, however, were original and many thousands of years old.

Some of the pieces destroyed were statues from Hatra, a walled city established in the 200′s B.C. It was under the influence of the Parthian Empire and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Other pieces were from the the Assyrian Empire, including  huge winged bulls with human heads that guarded the entrance to Nineveh, the last capital of the Assyrians. The 9-ton statues were from the 600′s B.C. Examples of such statues, which are called lamassu, and are meant to protect against evil. The figures may be either winged bulls or winged lions. Such statues can be seen at the British Museum, the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Oriental Institute in Chicago.

ISIS’s destruction of ancient artifacts that its members believe to be “idols” (images of false gods) is not a unique event. Other groups have done the same. In 2001, the Taliban destroyed a pair of enormous Buddhas carved into a cliff at Bamiyan, near Kabul in Afghanistan.

It is not always the case that people destroy the art of religions other than their own. In the 700′s, the Eastern Christian Church was divided concerning the reverence, or veneration, given to religious art. At that time, a group known as the Iconoclasts covered or destroyed Christian religious art—especially icons—within the Byzantine Empire.

Other World Book articles:

• Afghanistan (2001-a Back in time article)
• Iconoclast

February 25, 2015

Before dawn on February 23, Islamic State (ISIS) militants stormed the Hassakeh province in northeastern Syria, kidnapping a number of Christians living in small villages along the Khabur River. Initial reports were of around 90 people having been kidnapped, but by today experts had increased the number to closer to 300. It is not certain why ISIS would kidnap such a large number of Christians. In one hopeful scenario, experts thought perhaps the jihadist group hopes to swap its kidnap victims for ISIS fighters held prisoner by Kurdish forces.

Islamic State (ISIS) fighters during a military parade in Raqqa, Syria, in 2014, shown in propaganda photos released by the militants. Raqqa forms the de facto capital of the largely unrecognized “caliphate” formed by ISIS in 2014. (Credit: © Alamy Images)

The Christians living in this small area of Syria are Assyrian, or Syriac, Christians. They are Nestorians, meaning they belong to a sect of Christianity that follows the teachings of Nestorius, who was made Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul today) in 428. The Assyrian Christians speak a dialect of Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ and his disciples.

Assyrian Christians are found in Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. Many have fled their ancient homelands. Fighting in Syria, Iran, and Iraq has made life dangerous for this group. Despite having lived in the Middle East for thousands of years, they are often targeted by Islamic extremists because of their religion. In addition to ISIS, Al-Qa`ida and the Jabhat al-Nusra Brigade target Christians in the Middle East. More than 600,000 Assyrian Christians are currently living as refugees in Turkey, having fled Syria.

Other World Book articles:

• Eastern Orthodox Churches (2013-a Back in Time article)

• Syria (2013-a Back in time article)

February 16, 2015

A relative of a man seized by the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) covers her face as she weeps at their home in the village of el-Aour, Egypt. Thirteen of the men kidnapped hail from this village. Her relative, Samuel Walham, was one of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians seized by ISIS militants in the central city of Sirte, Libya, over December and January. The day after this photo was taken, video of militants murdering the Egyptian hostages was released.  (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

In response to a video that was released yesterday, showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian workers in Libya by the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS), the government of Egypt bombed Libyan territory today. The bombing was targeted at ISIS camps, training areas, and weapons depots, and was ordered by Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in retaliation for the murder of Egyptian citizens.

The Egyptian workers killed in Libya were all Coptic Christians, or Copts, an ancient sect dating to the early Christian church in Egypt. Today, around 10 million Copts live in Egypt. Poorer Coptic Christian men sometimes leave Egypt to work in Libya at such jobs as construction. The 21 men who were abducted were taken from the coastal town of Sirte, in eastern Libya, which is under the control of Islamist groups.

Libya is currently under control of two groups—the government, led by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni; and rival militias, who took over the Libyan capital of Tripoli in 2014. The 2014 take-over of Tripoli by the militias forced the government of Libya to flee to the northeastern city of Tobruk, where they allied themselves with anti-Islamist rebels. Much like Syria and Iraq, both riven by civil strife, Libya’s weak government allows such jihadist groups as ISIS to thrive.

ISIS will sometimes try to justify its actions based on religious ideas. In messages concerning the hostages, ISIS referred to Coptic men as “crusaders,” referring to soldiers that fought in a series of wars proclaimed by Roman Catholic popes. The Crusades occurred from the late 1000′s to the 1500′s, however, and the men killed in Libya were not trying to conquer territory but were poor men trying to make enough money for their families to live.