A website that purports to me the media platform of the ISIS has posted a call for attacks on western countries that has a definite sound of jihad about it.
Isis Spokesman: 'Supporters Should Kill Europeans, Americans and Canadians in Any Way Possible'
An Isis spokesman has published a call to arms for Muslims around the world to kill American, Canadian and European citizens for their governments' role in a coalition against the radical Islamist group in Iraq and Syria.
Following Australia's largest terror raids and France's first air strikes on the group, Isis (also known as Islamic State) spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani ash-Shami called on supporters to launch insider attacks on western populations, particularly "the spiteful and filthy French".
"If you can kill a disbelieving American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French – or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever [...] including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be," he said in a 42-minute speech released on social media.
"Do not consult with anyone and do not seek anyone's advice. Whether they are civilian or military, the same ruling applies.
This is rhetoric similar to what has been heard from Al Queda in the past. On several occasions they were able to turn their threats into actual attacks. ISIS has been able to attract about 15K volunteers from other countries to fight in Syria and Iraq. It is estimated that about 2K of them come from western countries with about 100 being from the US. All of this is touching off varying levels of concern among world governments that has led to a special session of the UN Security Council to be chaired by President Obama.
Obama to Lead U.N. Effort to Halt Movement of Terror Recruits
President Obama will preside this week over an unusual meeting of the United Nations Security Council poised to adopt a binding resolution that would compel all countries to put in place domestic laws to prosecute those who travel abroad to join terrorist organizations and those who help them, including by raising funds.
The resolution, proposed by the United States, would also for the first time establish international standards for nations to prevent and suppress the recruiting of their citizens by terrorist organizations, and bar the entry and transit across their territory of suspected foreign terrorists.
Already, several European countries and other nations are putting new laws and administrative rules in place, although the extent to which each state enforces these provisions, experts say, will no doubt be balanced with their own policies and priorities.
The proposed resolution appears to have broad support and seems likely to be adopted. It invokes the authority of chapter VII of the UN Charter and as such is at least theoretically binding on all member nations. In practice the UN would have little power to enforce it. It really seems to be intended as more of a statement of policy consensus.
For the most part this web based call for attacks has not gotten a lot of attention in major media outlets. The exception to this is Australia where the terror threat response has been more intense than elsewhere. has given it front page coverage.
None of us can predict the future. It is difficult to know just how likely the western efforts to suppress the ISIS in Syria and Iraq are to create domestic terror threats. What we can do is look to the immediate past since we have been through a fairly similar process dealing with the same part of the world. We of course vary in how we interpret the meaning of that history. My personal reaction is to take the present developments with a bit of honest skepticism.