Most of the nation will not have seen the most recent execution by Islamic State militants. Jordanian Air Force pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh was locked in a cage and burned alive in a video entitled ‘Healing the Believers’ Chests’. Most of the nation will not have watched the video because it was horrifying, cruel and frankly difficult not to click away from. Yet this recent act of barbarism was but the latest in an ever growing list of publicised, produced and orchestrated executions of foreign soldiers, journalists and civilians.
One question arises from these acts. What will the outcome of this war be?
Part of me would like to believe that these are the acts of psychopathic fanatics that cannot comprehend the scale of the military disadvantage, of the conflict they seem intent on provoking. With their strength estimated at 20,000 to 200,000 soldiers, their military force in reality compares poorly to the nations that are becoming involved. The US Air Force alone has launched 194 air strikes in Iraq in a short space of time, alongside the bombings by Jordan and Assad’s Syria as well as France, the UK, Denmark, Netherlands and Belgium. The executions have been accompanied with threatening, anti-Western messages that seem to be aimed at provoking a response.This response has been quite slow to arrive, but now it’s here, and it’s loud and hot and fierce
The other part of me see’s the international support they have rallied, the economic sustenance they have gathered, and suspects they may be fully aware of the scale of the challenge ahead of them, and are welcoming it.
Aware and keen…ready to start a final, apocalyptic battle.
Are we?