Let’s take a look at the birth of the Takrifi group. The group, in its original form, was composed of and supported by a variety of terrorist organizations including the Mujahideen Shura Council, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Jaysh al-Fatiheen, Jund al-Sahaba, Katbiyan Ansar Al-Tawhid wal Sunnah and Jeish al-Taiifa al-Mansoura.

ISIL grew significantly as an organization owing to its participation in the Syrian war and the strength of its notorious leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In the ongoing Syrian conflict, the Al-Qaeda offshoot has a large presence in the Syrian provinces of Raqqah, Idlib and Aleppo.

Now, the terrorist group has moved into Iraq and overran large swathes in the northern part of the country and declared ‘an Islamic caliphate’. The terrorist group also published a map, claiming it will expand its presence in other countries in the Middle East and even southern Europe.

ISIL is known for its harsh interpretation of Wahhabism and its brutal violence, which is directed at several religions, Shia Islam and Christianity in particular.

During its recent attacks in northern Iraq, the terrorist group massacred thousands of Shias, Christians, Yazidis and the minorities who refused to convert to their harsh faith.

The ISIL terrorists on Sunday overran the Iraqi towns of Sinjar, Rabia and Zumar after driving away the Kurdish forces in the region.

In Sinjar, the terrorists executed dozens of Yazidi men for refusing to convert to their faith. Besides executing the Yazidis, the Al-Qaeda offshoot also took Yazidi women for ‘jihad’ marriage.

The UN Security Council has condemned ISIL attacks, saying the terrorist group posed a threat not only to Iraq and Syria but to “regional peace, security and stability”.

“Widespread or systematic attacks directed against any civilian populations because of their ethnic background, religion or belief may constitute a crime against humanity, for which those responsible must be held accountable,” said a UNSC statement.

The file image allegedly shows ISIL terrorists executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province.

Now everyone knows that the expansion of ISIL’s power is not in favor of any country in the world.

In Syria, certain Western and Arab countries supported ISIL and other terrorist groups to remove President Bashar al-Assad, but today they have realized that the policy was wrong since their support for the terrorist group expanded its presence in other countries including Iraq and Lebanon.

In Lebanon, the arrest of Abu Ahmad al-Jumaa, a Syrian militant commander who had recently pledged allegiance to ISIL, has triggered deadly clashes between terrorists and the army in the Lebanese border town of Arsal.

British journalist Robert Fisk wrote in The Independent on August 5 that after all warnings about a war that would spillover to Syria’s border, Abu Baker Al-Baghdadi ‘savage’ fighters have arrived in Lebanon.

A serious question that arises here is: Could Lebanon be the next domino to fall?

Now, this sounds alarm for all states in the region. All the countries should get united to prevent the spread of the terrorist group’s atrocities to other counties in the region because this group only believes in destruction and ethnic cleansing irrespective of whether the victims are Sunnis, Shias or Christians.

Europe and North America are also no longer safe due to the fact that thousands of members of the terrorist groups are their citizens and would pose security threats when they return to their countries.

The world should punish those states or individuals supporting the terrorist groups. It is a fact that the states which funnel dollars to the terrorists, wreaking havoc in Iraq, Syria and other places, will become their next target.

By Davood Baqeri,  the chief editor