The threat of ISIS 10 years after its infamous video

It has been just over a decade since ISIS  released their infamous beheading video. February 15 marks the tenth anniversary of the video, which depicts ISIS members viciously beheading a group of 21 men.

The video, which was released online, sent shockwaves around the globe and was universally condemned by the international community.

As reported in an article by Forbes, the men in the video were a group of Coptic Christians who were kidnapped by ISIS in Libya.

They were all Egyptian nationals apart from one man from Ghana and were taken by ISIS between December 2014 and January 2015.

After a few months of captivity, the men were then taken to a beach, where they were filmed being executed.

The video was then released online to instil fear and terror in those whom ISIS considered to be “infidels” and enemies to their cause.

The execution of the men came at a time when ISIS was at the height of its power. The group had a presence in multiple countries, as well as smaller cells and networks globally.

The panic caused by the group’s atrocities led to a mass exodus of refugees from countries like Syria and Iraq. This helped create the modern European migrant crisis, whose effects are still being felt today.

Nearly a decade on from the incident, the threat of ISIS still exists. A report to the UN security council of February 10 outlined some of their ongoing activities. The report states that ISIS maintains a “reduced pace of activity in Iraq” as well as in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The report also stated the group was actively trying to expand in Africa in hopes of gaining territory in parts of the continent.

Forbes