Anti-ISIS coalition discusses developments in Washington

Noura Bendary

The death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has raised a number of questions about the future of the terrorist organization after it appointed a new leader. The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS will discuss the role of the international coalition in its 35th conference in Washington.

Ministers will meet for strategy discussions on the continued fight against ISIS in the post-liberation era and following the death of al-Baghdadi.

A senior State Department official said in press statements that the conference would discuss the latest developments after the death of ISIS leader.

Researcher Hisham El-Naggar, an expert on Islamist movements, said that what the US official pointed out about the US plan was “expected after the killing of al-Baghdadi.

“The conference may focus on increasing the number of international troops and contributions of countries, especially after the US mistake by pulling out of Syria,” El-Naggar told THE REFERENCE.

“There are facts on the ground as everybody knows.  The death of al-Baghdadi is not the end of the organization. Turkey, under Erdogan, is using ISIS as an instrument to fight the Kurds. Turkey is also seeking weaken the Arab armies to go on with its expansionary schemes in the Arab world,” he explained.

El-Naggar believes that the reproduction of ISS would also serve Iran to continue its support to the armed militias in the Arab countries.

“Iran’s military presence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen is using ISIS as an excuse. If ISIS no longer exists, there would be no excuse for Tehran,” he added.