The Islamic State is here to stay
Unlike al-Qaeda, the Islamic State has been able to institutionalize jihad, thus guaranteeing its survival.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry announced that a number of high-ranking Islamic State (IS) leaders were targeted in a Nov. 8 airstrike. The US military confirmed the news that 50 IS top leaders were killed in airstrikes, without confirming whether IS' self-proclaimed caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was among them.
Newspapers and social networking sites widely spread the news, some even posting fabricated images of Baghdadi that allegedly confirmed his death. However, IS issued an audio recording of Baghdadi, proving that he was alive. The caliph said that the coalition strikes were ineffective and that the caliphate would continue to expand unabated.
In this context, the question arises: How will the targeting of IS leaders affect the organization’s activity and progress in achieving its objectives? Will the caliph's death, for instance, lead to the end of IS?
Some might compare the organization to al-Qaeda — the killing of Osama bin Laden significantly affected al-Qaeda, leading to its decline and dispersion within global jihad. Some say that, likewise, the killing of Baghdadi would weaken IS and pave the way for its swift elimination.
