The Student News Site of University of Louisiana Monroe

The Hawkeye

The Student News Site of University of Louisiana Monroe

The Hawkeye

The Student News Site of University of Louisiana Monroe

The Hawkeye

Terror group threatens Middle East

The terror group the Islamic State, has made rapid gains over the last few months in northern areas of Iraq.

Formerly called the Islamic State in Syria or Islamic State in the Levant, IS is an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, with a stated goal “to create a broader Islamic caliphate,” according to BBC news.

The terror group originated around a decade ago under the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and made a name for itself through acts of violence.

Under the current leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, IS has continued the practices of mass suicide bombings and public beheadings, according to Richard Spencer of the UK Telegraph.

Since its swift rise in power earlier this year IS has been committing atrocities in Iraq and Syria against those who do not espouse their exact beliefs.

Grant Garland, senior atmospheric science major, follows the trends in national opinion.

“You must confront evil and tyranny where it exists. You can’t teach barbarians to be civil,” Garland said.

Ryan Lindsey, a junior toxicology major, has followed the event primarily as a military involved student. Lindsey’s family has a history of serving in the military.

“Basically, my whole family has been in the military. When you’ve been born in a great country like this I feel we have a duty to give back.” Lindsey said.

“Our presence in the Middle East has been overdrawn and we’ve withdrawn from Iraq at this point. We should be more defensive in our strategy and more prudent in our response.” Lindsey said.

According to the economist, young Americans want some form of action.

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