Individuals often speculate that it was Osama bin Laden who had led the jihadi groups to their utmost success, notably due to the 9/11 attacks in the early 2000s although, it was not until after his assassination that al-Qaeda’s power had spiked. In fact, bin Laden’s death “had little impact on al-Qaeda-type jihadi groups” (Cockburn, 2015, p. 56). “In June 2014, the ISIS militants had suspended al-Qaeda as the most powerful and effective jihadi group in the world” (Cockburn, 2015, p. 2). From capturing US military equipment, mass bombings and shooting in Baghdad (the capital of Iraq and home to a large Shia population) and the escalation of violence, people cannot help but fear what possibly could be next on ISIS’ agenda.
