It is clear now that ISIS was never going to release Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, there was never going to be a deal. The hoax of an alternative outcome in exchange for the failed suicide bomber was nothing more than an effort to humiliate Jordan and demonstrate the growing power of the movement.
The main objective of such a strategy is simply to widen the base of supporters in the region and inside of Jordan. The CIA says there are between 20,000 and 31,000 ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria, and the great majority of these foreign fighters are from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.
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Kelshall adds “what we appease we allow. What we fight we make stronger ideologically. ISIL needs to be wiped out but it is the idea that their behavior is acceptable that must be wiped out. An eye for an eye will only consume the whole body, eventually.” Killing the idea that we accept this barbarism is the mission that must be embraced. There will be a response.
