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ON WEDNESDAY, FOOTAGE showing the beheading of French hiker Herve Gourdel was circulated by militants associated with the Islamic State group.
The 55-year-old was abducted while hiking through mountains in Algeria.
In the video, the jihadists say the gruesome act is a message to the French Government to stop air raid action against the group in Iraq.
Their supposed aim is also used in the video’s title: ’A Message with Blood to the French Government’.
The killing comes as part of a recent spate of kidnappings and executions by the Islamic State group and those affiliated with it. In turn, there has been an escalation of air strikes on the group in Iraq and Syria this week by a coalition of forces .
Why are these videos being released? Is the West back at war in Middle East? And how do things stand with the Islamic State group now? TheJournal.ie answers your questions here.
Despite its prominence in the news over the summer, it can still be difficult to know exactly who makes up the Islamic State group and what they want.
One of the most confusing aspects of the violence has been what to call the group carrying it out. The Islamic State group has at various times also been called Isil (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant), Isis (Islamic State of al-Sham) and Daesh.
The group launched itself under the moniker ‘Islamic State’ in June in a move aimed at legitimising the ‘caliphate’ it had declared. The term ‘Isil’ has been used by the United States and British Governments as they feel it is most accurate, and makes sure their claim to an Islamic State is not legitimised by the West.
France has announced the use of the Arabic-derived term Daesh to avoid association with peaceful Islamic groups.
The group has existed in various forms since 1999 and was originally an Iraq-based affiliate of al-Qaida. A split occurred earlier this year over an unwillingness by the Islamic State group to obey commands from senior members of al-Qaida.
The main aim of the group is to establish a ‘caliphate’. The idea of a caliphate, which is roughly speaking the creation of a holy land for Muslims under the leadership of a ‘caliph’, dates back to after the time of prophet Muhammad’s death in the 7th century. The group has resurrected the idea.
The self-declared caliph is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who claims to be a direct descendent of the prophet Muhammad. The US State Department currently has a bounty of $10 million on his head.
While the Islamic State group has been around in one form or another for just over a decade this latest offensive came into effect at the start of June.
In an overnight offensive the group managed to managed to take control of Iraq’s second largest city Mosul. The advance saw the group take hold of the governor’s office, the TV station and the airport. The speed at which they were able to do so shocked many outside observers.
There was a view at the time that there may have been a conspiracy within the Iraqi army in relation to the advance. In the attack on Mosul reports indicated that 30,000 troops fled in the face of just 800 fighters from the Islamic State group.
The Islamic State group has gained control of large areas of both Iraq and Syria since declaring its caliphate in June. The group’s territory stretches from Aleppo in Syria to Diyala in Iraq.
In the past week, the group has continued to advance into northern Syria. One of the major issues with their action has been the huge numbers of displaced refugees. This recent advance has forced 130,000 Kurds out of their homes.
Since the start of the conflict more than 1.8 million Iraqis have been displaced by the Islamic State group’s actions. Over 500,000 of these were living in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region that spreads across Iraq, Syria and Turkey.
Since last Friday the 130,000 refugees that had to flee Syria have been taken in by Turkey. Large numbers of people have gathered at the border in support of the refugees and have faced action by Turkish authorities trying to disperse them.
On Tuesday, a coalition lead by the United States started escalating air attacks against Islamic state group targets in Iraq and Syria.
So far, there have been attacks on targets by French and American forces. These forces are joined by a number of countries from around the region in taking action. Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have launched strikes against the group.
So does this mean Western powers are back at war in the same way they were during the second Gulf invasion of 2003?
On Wednesday, in an address that came close to being a declaration of war, President Barack Obama was damning in his condemnation of the extremist groups. In his address to the UN Obama said:
The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force.
A key point of Obama’s address was that the role the US will be playing is one of support to the communities in Iraq and Syria who have had to face the Islamic State group.
While the US will continue to carry out a campaign of air strikes, it is not thought at this time that there will be another ground invasion.
To see a bigger version of this map click here.
Obama’s speech stated that more than 40 countries had offered to join the coalition to take action against the Islamic State group. Nations across Europe who have expressed their willingness for action include Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
A main target of this bombing campaign are the oil fields that the Islamic State group draw much of their revenue from. Some experts have speculated that oil revenues for the group could provide funding of over $2 million a day.
While the President has been praised for showing a much stronger stance on the situation and asserting America’s dominance, the move to reenter the region must be difficult for Obama, who withdrew the remaining troops from the second Gulf invasion in 2011.
Closer to home, MPs in the House of Commons voted yesterday to take action in the region. The motion sees the UK throwing its weight behind US-led air strikes.
A bombing campaign by Britain would see them launch attacks in Iraq but not in Syria. UK combat forces are reentering Iraq for the first time since withdrawing in 2009.
The beheading of Herve Gourdel this week was the fourth high-profile incident in just over a month. Part of the groups strategy is based around the distributing of these videos broadly across social media.
Last month saw the beheading of American journalist James Foley. This month Steven Sotloff (also an American journalist) and British aid worker David Haines have also been subject to the vicious action by the group.
These attacks are thought to be part of a broader social media strategy being carried out by the group. The group distributes slickly-produced footage through its ‘Al-Furqan Media’ arm.
Part of the strategy by the group has involved ‘piggy-backing’ on popular internet hashtags on sites such as Twitter and YouTube to spread their propaganda. This saw material from the Islamic State group appearing under hashtags relating to the referendum on Scottish independence.
The impact and effect these videos have has been subject of much debate. Some commentators suggest that the videos act as a powerful recruitment tool. It seems that whatever the outcome of the videos in terms of propaganda, they have been at least partly responsible for the escalated action in the region.
Some individuals from Ireland have travelled to the Middle East to participate in the conflict as part of radical Islamic groups. Around 25 to 30 individuals are known to have joined the fight. This makes up only a tiny percentage of the total 43,000 Muslims living in Ireland.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has described the problem of Europeans traveling to take part in the conflict as a “growing and serious problem”. This followed a resolution earlier in the week by the UN Security Council that all member states should act together to prevent the individuals traveling to join jihadist organisations.
Earlier this week, Irish convert to Islam Khalid Kelly defended the action of the Islamic State group in carrying out the beheadings. He claimed the action was the inevitable result of attacks against the Muslim faith.
At the beginning of September, UN Peacekeepers were caught in the crossfire between the Al-Qaida linked Al-Nusra Front and Syrian troops. Some of the peacekeepers stationed in the region as part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force were Irish.
These peacekeepers were in position to maintain a buffer-zone between Israeli and Syrian forces. Last week Defence Minister Simon Coveney informed the Dáil that the Irish troops would be staying in the region as part of their ongoing UN mission.
In the incident, 44 Fijian peacekeepers were taken captive but later released.
Among Syrian and Iraqi Sunni Muslims, there is a degree of popular support for the Islamic State group and the regime they are implementing, although the vast majority of Muslims in the region reject the view that the Islamic State group have of their faith.
The support is attributed to the unfavourable political situation that has existed for Sunni Muslims in both Iraq and Syria.
Shia governments under the leadership of Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq and Bashar al-Assad in Syria that have violently oppressed the Sunni populations and this has created a desire for change.
The Sunni population in both these countries may not support the ideology or the atrocities carried out by the Islamic State group but may see them as an alternative to previously brutal regime.
The Islamic state group does not have the religious backing of Islam broadly. Last month a top Islamic authority based in Egypt launched a internet campaign against the naming of the group as the “Islamic State”.
The leader of the group Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shawki Allam described the Islamic State group as violating all principles and laws of Islam and posing a danger to the religion as a whole.
The big question going forward is whether or not the action being taken with recent air strikes will be enough to stop the Islamic State group. The air strikes will undoubtedly cause an economic impact on the group and the attacks have already have already managed to hit a oil refinery controlled by the Islamic State group.
It has been thought that the new escalation of air attacks along with supplying locals on the ground with weapons could be enough to stop the group from advancing any further. However some other groups have said that without ground forces the campaign could be doomed to not succeed.
One thing for sure is that the campaign will not be a swift one. Upon recalling parliament, Prime Minister of Britain David Cameron said the campaign would take “not months but years”.
While an aggressive bombing campaign gives some reassurance that something is being done to prevent the advance of the Islamic State group, a resolution to the conflict still seems a long way off.
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Trump really is the ultimate snowflake.
@honey badger: Nonsense. Chap looks like a proper Rambo. You know what you are… what you’re made of. War is in your blood. Don’t fight it, Don.
@honey badger: And OF COURSE he had to mention Obama! Talk about rent free. He is still obsessed with him. Pretty obvious it’s the fact Obama is better looking and about a thousand times more literate and eloquent, so he’s on the hate list, natch. I’ve never seen an adult of his age fail so miserably at managing their jealousy. You’re 79 soon dude, grow up!
@honey badger: The painting is a children’s painting why not just give it back and get something decent done.
@SerotoninWars: Not so eloquently literate yourself. No matter. We’ll always have Barack. Alhamdulillah.
@honey badger:
They made him a lot better than he actually is.
He should be so lucky.
He’s very sensitive. Having a meltdown over his profile picture days after his war strike that took the lives of 5 children.
@Housing Hunger Games: I’d never defend Trump, but it’s notable that there’s been effectively zero interest in the Yemen conflict between Saudi and Iranian backed forces that has caused the deaths of ~400,000 from war, famine and disease. No marches, no protests, no rallies.
@honey badger: Organise a March yourself.
@honey badger: where did u get 400k?
@Housing Hunger Games:
He made little of President Biden who he constantly referred to as sleepy Joe.
Has he looked in the mirror recently.
His eyes have the appearance of being half closed,looks very dozey ,and barely with it.
He needs to look in a mirror, the portrait makes him look better than reality. Probably the shade of orange required hasn’t been invented yet.
@Dermot Blaine: I thought that too, I think he looks great in it… We are never happy
@Buster Lawless: The phrase is, pretty useless.
Wasn’t orange enough.
Needs to be Annoying Orange orange.
@Kieran Menon: Oompa Loompa orange
@Kieran Menon: A portrait of a President while he is president makes sense. Sell the old one.
Trump *is* distorted though. As is his understanding of the law, truth and facts.
‘Purposefully distorted’. trump would know all about that alright!
What sort of woman is Melania giving herself to that ogre. Women’s will never progress while women like her exist. A true enemy within.
@Argus Romsworth: “So, Melania, what first attracted you to ‘billionaire’ Donald Trump?”
@honey badger: Settle down girls, jealousy will get you nowhere.
@Argus Romsworth: The answer to your question, y(our first sentence) is within that sentence.
@Eric Gaffney: He won’t ride ya, Eric, etc.
@Argus Romsworth: Melanie is high maintenance.
And is this really going to draw attention away from the debacle of a journalist present for a discussion of imminent military action?
He does look a bit pale in it alright.
You can’t paint someone who has a multiplicity of faces.
Just leave it in a bucket of club orange overnight and it should be right.
He is a delicate petal.
That portrait reminds me of the footage of Trump dejectedly walking from the presidential helicopter back to the White House. This was after his first rally during Covid. I thought he looked healthier in that footage than normal. Then it hit me that, because it was night and there wasn’t much artificial light, I couldn’t see his orange face paint. He can’t complain about any artistic or photography image of him, when he looks the way he does: clinically obese, ludicrous comb over, cheap tan and block head.
Less demonic in this painting than he appears in the others.
He’s some pillock!
Looks like he’s just out of root canal
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear
Looks more like Hillary than the Don to be fair
@Paul: hard to see with all the text across it ! Useless pic from journal again
@Karen Marten: Just tap the photo to see it without text.
@John Drohan: ha looked better with all text across it
This is a non-issue really. Trump doesn’t like an unflattering portrait of him, it gets taken down. It’s childish by Trump to kick up a fuss over a painting but at least both Republicans and Democrats in Colorado didn’t waste legislative time bickering over whether to remove it or not. Barack Obama’s painting is much nicer and Trump is right to point that out. The simple solution is for Trump to pay an artist that he prefers to paint him a portrait that can be hung up in the Denver Rotunda. Then Democrats don’t have to foot the bill and Trump gets a much better painting of himself.
Hahaha what a baby, thought he would be too busy “Saving” AmErICA
The comments on this article are a perfect illustration of why reasoned and reasonable debate on topics and issues are virtually impossible in 2025.
People spewing bile about Trump over something that each and every person should easily be able to understand and relate to themselves.
There is nobody in the modern world that hasn’t experienced having a photo or selfie taken, and either thinking or saying, that makes me look absolutely awful, don’t share that, please delete it, or they have deleted it themselves.
Equally none us has every said in those circumstances, you know what would be really great, If that horrendously awful photo was made into a large oil painting and put on display on a wall in a really public setting for all the world to see..
@Dvsespaña: Nah, mate. You’re missing the point. It speaks to the character, or lack thereof, of Trump. He’s a narcissist. You have to weigh things up in their entirety. Look at his reaction to the major security breach by one of his top advisors. He called it a “glitch” and then bashed the Atlantic as a publication. Zero accountability. He’s an ugly person, through and through. Look at the position he has given to the unelected Elmo Musk. Elmo essentially bought that position by donating 270 billion to Trump’s campaign. That’s an oligarch move. This all paints a picture of the the most powerful man in the world and it’s a rather disgusting portrait.
@Iano C: Thanks for proving my point.
@Dvsespaña: You didn’t make a point. You drew a weak comparison between bad selfies and discourse online. That somehow we should be able to relate to Trump because we would feel the same about a bad pic of ourselves. Surface level, at best. Zoom out and look at the man by his actions. Actions that impact the entire world.
@Dvsespaña:
Problem is ,if Trump was presented with a picture in his true likeness, he would deny it was him,and put them in prison.
Narcissists can’t see their flaws.
Hes spot on
He’s not orange enough
Josh homme has let himself go
@David Comerford: aah David,no need for that.
He’s a FOI ol for not liking it, he’s got hair in this one!!!
Well, in all fairness, the portrait looks like the lovechild of Alex Baldwin and Phil Glenister …
Paid for and put up by Republicans but of course the Liar in Cheif accuses the Democrats. What a snowflake and hypocritical liar
The real portrait is in some attic just like the portrait of dorian gray.
Very little Orange in that picture
The painting makes him look like Alan Partridge after going wild on the Toblerones
The painting, his own supporters commissioned blended his face makeup into his hair line too well. Unlike in real life where he looks like his makeup is done by a blind person.
This is, simply, an overt act of totalitarianism by Trumptrash. It is one of many wedges being slowly driven into American liberties by a rap it’s
It’s not orange enough and he dosent have his smug chin stuck out
Color his hair black and he’d look like that Korean lad kim jong un. lol
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