The guy that tried to commit a terror attack here in Edmonton a few years ago had an ISIS flag in the front seat of the U-Haul he used...
(Arguably he tried and succeeded. Thankfully there were no deaths, or even severe injuries minus the police officer he attacked - but that guy is tough as f**k and was back on the job a few weeks later)
ISIS seems to very much want people to know it was them.
They're a growth industry, it seems, so we'd better be ready for their new franchise model. Too bad it seems we're not ...
The Islamic State in 2025: an Evolving Threat Facing a Waning Global Response
Despite the Islamic State having shrunk in the Middle East, its global presence has expanded significantly, and by the end of 2024, the Islamic State remained the
deadliest terrorist organisation in the world. Since the loss of its self-proclaimed Caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2019, and some
60,000 combatants, the organisation has undergone radical structural and operational changes. In 2025, the Islamic State relies primarily on a dynamic network of regional affiliates who operate with a greater autonomy of action than ever before, with Afghanistan-based IS-Khorasan being the most prominent branch linked to numerous high-profile attacks in
Afghanistan,
Iran,
Russia,
Turkey, etc.
While there is an ongoing debate among experts who claim that the Islamic State has been degraded into a
decentralised network of affiliated branches and others who claim that it has instead evolved into an even more cohesive
globally integrated organisation, one could reasonably argue that the Islamic State has adopted a hybrid model that features elements of both.
Forced to abandon its ambitions of a territory-based caliphate, it gradually shifted to a less hierarchical structure and a more decentralised operational model with the intent of enhancing the chances of its survival and the resilience of its regional structures. Even the fact that as of mid-2025 there is no clear understanding of the real identity of Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the fifth and current caliph of the Islamic State, is likely a reflection of this shift toward a hybrid structure that prioritises flexibility and security over centralised control, given that a named leader is arguably less critical for operational continuity in a non-centralised structure.
At the same time, while adopting a regionalised model that fosters agility and flexibility through a less hierarchical structure, the Islamic State core retains connectivity and oversight over its network of global affiliates through its restructured
General Directorate of Provinces, that acts as the central hub for provision of operational support, funding and ideological guidance. In sum, the current hybrid model balances regional autonomy with centralised oversight, allowing the Islamic State to remain adaptable while pursuing its global jihadist agenda.
As of 2025, the Islamic State no longer controls significant territory in the Middle East, but its threat persists globally. Through a hybrid organisational model that balances regional autonomy with centralised oversight, the Islamic State remains lethal, resilient, and adaptive. This short...
icct.nl
www.bbc.com
