Comparing FARC and ISIS
Although there is no clear or universal definition of terrorism, the term is used to refer to the application of methods of measures that are meant to create fear through violence or coercion to achieve political or ideological goals. This has mainly been used as the basic definition of acts of violence perpetrated by groups in different parts of the world, especially after the 9/11/2001 attack on the world trade center by the al-Qaeda. However, there are many perspectives on tourism, as can be gathered from the vast range of research conducted on the topic. Terror organizations can be evaluated based on their motive/motivation, operational complexity, strength, and strategy adopted. Different problems that arise in society create opportunities on which terrorist organizations thrive. These conditions/problems include poverty, religious conflicts, political disputes, ethnic/tribal conflicts, alienation, corruption, among other issues. Terrorist/militant bodies use the issues as a justification for their actions and to attract more followers and fighters. However, it has been argued that most of the time, the problems/challenges/conflicts are created by terrorist organizations for their benefit. The revolutionary forces of Colombia(FARC) and ISIS are examples of military outfits that have been labeled as a terrorist organization by various security and law enforcement bodies throughout the world. The united states listed FARC as a foreign terrorist organization in October 1997; the group is also on the list of international terrorist organizations in the European union list2. The group has since been removed from the list of EU FTOs in 2017 after it disarmed following a peace agreement with the government of Colombia was made in 2016. On the other hand, ISIS has been the radar of international and domestic security agencies since 2004. The group has since been designated as inactive, although there is widespread speculation that the group is still active and seeking to regroup.
There are many differences and similarities between the two militant organizations in terms of history, leadership, operational strategy, weaponry, financing, among others. This essay aims to compare FARC and ISIS based on the aspects mentioned above and to suggest the best methods of countering terrorist threats.
FARC
The revolutionary forces of Columbia, commonly abbreviated as FARC was designed and founded in 1964-1966 to be a military wing of the communist part of Columbia. The membership of the group that has been fighting the national government of Columbia for more than four decades now stands at 18000 and is currently led by Manuel Marulanda4. The central political ideology that the militant group adopts is the Marxist Leninist goals and also uses the liberation of southern America by Simon bolivar from Spanish colonialists in t5he 1800s. The main reason why the guerrilla group was formed was to protect the rights of the rural civilians after the Columbian civil war between 1948 and 19584. The group’s initial aim was to overthrow the national government. This fete required a lot of financial resources for the supplies and connections. This is the reason why the group ensured that it controlled several activities such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, money laundering and extortion, and also illegal mining operations.
History of FARC
The combined efforts of Manuel Marulanda, then a member of the Columbia Communist Party (PCC), and Jacobo Arenas led to the formation of a guerilla military group known as the revolutionary armed forces of Columbia, translated from the Spanish name Las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia (FARC). This was prompted by the decade long civil war, a period that was commonly referred to as la Violencia. After the civil war, members of the Columbian Communist Party who felt that the national government had neglected them rallied members of their communities who made settlements across the countryside. The group led by Marulanda settled in Marquietalia, Tolima. Their goal was to ensure they were in a position to voice their concerns to the national government and ensure that they are followed.
The armed conflict between FARC and the Columbian government began on May 27th, 1964, when the government armed forces attacked Marulanda’s camp prompting the 48 members of the militant group to fight back. On July 20th, the same year, all the guerilla communities united, and together they declared themselves the southern bloc. The bloc jointly advocated for land reforms and sought to defend the rights of its followers in the rural areas against oppression by the national government. The guerilla group continued to expand through the better part of the 1960s to the 1980s. When the group still at its initial stages of expansion, the fighters mainly focused on ambushing military convoys and raiding farms of those who did not support them5. Their main goal was to seize crucial military equipment, tools, looting foodstuffs, taking hostages, and also punishing informers. The FARC ensured that all its activities were constrained around the region in which it operated rather than other economic hubs of the country. The group’s strategy of limiting its insurgencies to one geographical region was meant to ensure its survival in the face of the implementation of stricter means of eliminating them by the government.
FARC started organizing itself into a military unit later in the decade when it started wearing military uniforms and started enforcing strict laws that ensured certain crimes such as banditry, betrayal, and crimes of passion were severely punished to discourage other fighters from committing them again in the future4. The approach is also similar to the strategy of the ISIS that ensured strict rules and regulations were set up to ensure fighters obeyed orders and conducted themselves in the expected code. Those who were found in violation of the laws and regulations received severe punishment to serve as a warning to potential violators. Punishment involved death through decapitation or hanging, incarceration or detention, dismissal from the militant groups, among other punitive measures.
History of ISIS
One cannot understand how ISIS came to be without delving into the history of al-Qaeda and how they relate. The story of al-Qaeda begins with the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in 1979. The Muslim world was able to rally around 20,000 fighters from other countries to help them in their bid of fending off the Russian army. It is during this time of resistance that Osama bin Laden met other Islamist radicals, who would later become the principal founders of al-Qaeda. The Soviets withdrew their forces in 1988 but left a weak puppet government that could not withstand the ferocity of the attacks from the al-Qaeda allied jihadists. Later in 1989, Ahmad Fadhil Nazzalal-Khalaylah, a Jordanian national, joined the fighting in Afghanistan. The Jordan, who would then become known as Abu Musab al Zarqawi, founded the terrorist group ISIS, which has wreaked havoc across the world.
According to Anne Weaver, an Atlantic magazine author, Zarqawi was not a stout Islamist when he traveled to Afghanistan in 1989. He was indoctrinated by a man named Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi7. An individual who was renown across the world as a proponent of Islamist violence and jihadism. After his indoctrination, Zarqawi continued building his network of Islamists before he even met bin laden. The difference between Zarqawi and laden is that they both came from different backgrounds. Zarqawi did not have a university degree like bin laden and came from a poor background. Also, most followers of Zarqawi were people from poor backgrounds without proper education, while those of bin laden came from middle-class backgrounds. Another notable difference between the two Islamists is that Osama did not agree with Zarqawi’s perception of takfir. Takfir justifies the execution of other Muslims by Muslims if they are found guilty of heresy.
Zarqawi later returned to in 1999 to form Jama’at Al-Tawid Wal-Jihad, a military group that was composed of Sunni Muslim fighters. The group gained more popularity after it pledged its allegiance to Osama bin Laden, and was renamed Alqaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2004. The group recruited many of its fighters from the large number of militants who had been left jobless and vulnerable after the united states and allied forces disbanded the national army after the ouster of Saddam Hussein. The army, which was predominantly composed of Sunni fighters, worked well with AQI’s goal of becoming a renowned Sunni military group. The militant group had gained enough power such that by 2004, the mujahideen shura council, which was comprised of jihadists from different parts of the region, declared Iraq an Islamic state by the year 2006.
Intending to build an Islamic state outside of Iraq, the militant group sent the al Nusra front to fight in the Syrian civil war. The outcome of this was an increase in their dominance over regions inhabited by Sunni Muslims. However, the power struggle within al-Qaeda hampered the ability of IS to capitalize on what it had achieved throughout the region. This prompted the group to declare itself independent from al-Qaeda in 2013. They declared a caliphate and installed Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi as the caliph.
FARC and ISIS Ideology
From a layman’s point of view, the approach adopted by ISIS in the interpretation of the guidelines from the Quran regarding Salafi-jihadism looks indistinguishable from that of al-Qaeda(AQ). However, there are some differences and similarities in their ideologies. Both militant groups agree that the Islamic State and Islam as a religion are intertwined. That governance of the state and policymaking should all be based upon the strict interpretation of the sharia law. The difference occurs in several issues related to Aqidah and Manhaj. AQ differed with ISIS regarding the way the latter was interpreting takfir (ex-communication of fellow Muslims on allegations of heresy), the approach adopted by ISIS in the process of establishing the caliphate, and the widespread use of end-time narratives. These are the main reasons why ISIS and AQ split.
Sunni Muslims who were predominant in ISIS despised Shia Muslims because they claim that their religious practices bear no precedence from prophet Mohammad. Zarqawi increased the use of takfir against Shia Muslims, terming the Muslim faction as an innovation in the religion. He further claimed that the fact that the faction’s alteration of the Quran is equivalent to the denial of its initial perfection. The leaders of ISIS despised standard Shiite practices such as self-flagellation and worshipping at the graves of imams citing the fact that such practices have no basis in the Quran. According to the ideology of the militant group, all Shia Muslims and leaders of predominantly countries who promote human-made laws above sharia law should be excommunicated or killed because they defy the will of Allah.
The ideology of takfir is the motivating factor behind all the operations of ISIS. Although initially, the group’s fighters rallied together to resist the domination of foreign powers such as the Soviet Union and the united states, the political motivations of the groups have become more complex. The group aims to cleanse the world through the killing of all people who do not follow the laws of Islam as provided in the holy Quran. ISIS’s political strategy involved expanding its territory all around Iraq, extending to Africa. Many people who were considered infidels by the militant group lost their lives. The group then spread the propaganda on social media to instill fear in public and to force some nations to meet their demands. This was all meant to make the extent of their slaughter known to the world. From the gruesome execution videos posted on social media, the world understood that the group meant business when it said that it would cleanse the world of all infidels. However, what is more confusing is that ISIS exempted Christians who did not resist their domination from execution, provided they paid a special tax called jizya.
It is worth noting that ISIS emphasizes the necessity of violence against infidels to avenge the long-suffering that true Muslim faithful have endured. This ideology yields positive results in rallying up support and recruitment of fighters. Moreover, those who felt vulnerable after the ouster of Hussein, the aftermath of the Syrian civil war, or the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan felt safe under the protection of their military outfit. The deep desire for revenge that many people in the gulf feel was taken advantage of by the ISIS. However, the militant group blew their operations out of proportion, prompting some of its leaders and former loyalists to question the justifiability of their actions as per the Quran.
The use of revenge and protection of the rights of citizens is a common strategy that was used by the FARC and the ISIS to rally support and to recruit fighters to their course. FARC promised its followers and fighters that it would protect their land rights and shield them from oppression by the Colombian national government. Aggression by the Colombian national army had the effect of increasing the number of followers of the guerilla group. When the government attacked Marulanda’s camp in 1964, the number of fighters grew from just 48, to what became known as the southern bloc. What differs between the strategies of the two militant groups is that FARC’s approach was not religiously motivated while that of ISIS was religious, spiced up with vengeance and protection. Also, FARC’s ideology was only centered on the domestic Colombian political arena9. It meant to ensure equality in resource allocation and distribution, protect land rights, and safeguard the lives of rural Colombians from the oppressive and discriminative practices of the ruling party after the Columbian civil war that lasted for almost a decade.
Backing and Enablers of ISIS and FARC
FARC supports its activities through a series of criminal activities that range from cocaine trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion. The militant group has successfully operated a cocaine business that facilitates farmers through farming incentives. The group is also involved in the harvesting of coca leaves and the final manufacturing process of cocaine. Taxation is also a significant source of financing for FARC6. The militant group required people in rural areas, which it controls to pay a certain amount of money as protection fees. It is also worth mentioning that the group enjoys support from various foreign governments. For instance, in 2008, evidence obtained from FARC camps showed that the then president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, had made a pact with the guerillas to undermine the national government of Colombia.
ISIS has enjoyed backing and support from various influential and prominent individuals, governmental organizations, and non-governmental bodies. Bashar al Assad, the Syrian president, is cited as the individual who enabled ISIS to incubate and expand in Asia and other parts of the world. The Assad regime would facilitate thousands of Syrians and foreign Islamist fighters to train in its camps to enable them to resist the US-led invasion against Iraq in 20039. This was prompted by the fear harbored by Assad that after the US was done with Iraq, she would focus on overthrowing his regime. Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister and a Shia Muslim, is another individual who enabled the rise of ISIS as an international terrorist organization. During his term in office, he oversaw the persecution of the Sunni minority in the country. This provided ISIS with the opportunity to earn the trust of the minorities, providing it with an operational base. The group was able to flourish with operational bases that were located in provinces of Iraq and Syria, where the majority of the inhabitants were Sunni Arabs. Iran is also another Arab nation that has allowed ISIS to expand in the region and the world. The oil-rich nation provides both military, financial, and logistical support to the terrorist organization. For instance, in 2011, when protests against the Assad regime erupted in Syria, Iran sent Hezbollah (it’s proxy), and the revolutionary guard to suppress the rebellions. This is because Iran wanted to achieve its political goal of becoming the dominant power in the region. Research has also shown that other nations in the Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, have aided the expansion of ISIS in one way or another9.
Weaponry and Tactics Used by ISIS and FARC
ISIS is not discriminatory in the choice of weaponry that it uses in its attacks. Most of the weapons used by the group are acquired through battlefield appropriation. After they defeat or repulse enemy forces, ISIS collects all the weapons left behind.However, several weapons have become common with the group. Some of these weapons include melee weapons, firearms, explosives, and ramming devices. Melee weapons are mostly used in attacks conducted by ISIS or ISIS-inspired individuals in foreign soil. These weapons range from knives, daggers, axes, to machetes. For instance, the attacker in endeavor hill Australia in 2016, and the one in Normandy used knives and machetes as weapons. Firearms are among the most used weapons by ISIS fighters. The Brussels museum attacks of 2014 were made using the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle. The attacks claimed the lives of 4 Jews. Many fire-arm related attacks on unarmed civilians attributed to ISIS have happened in many countries throughout the world. Other assault rifles used by the terrorist organization are the M/95, M16, and Walther P99. The group has also increased the use of anti-material weaponry, such as the Sayyad-2 AM50, M99, and the ZU-23-2 automatic rifles and semi-automatic cannons. In their cache, ISIS also possesses several RPG and SPG models such as the OG-7V, TOW, and ATGW systems that can be used to combat enemy armored vehicles and tanks. The group also uses mortars and man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). These mortars and MANPADS are the reason for a large number of civilian fatalities in attacks or defenses by ISIS. The group is also notorious in the use of explosive devices in their attacks. Most of the attacks combine the use of firearms and improvised explosive devices. For instance, in the attack that killed 35 people at Brussels international airport, the terrorists used Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) based on improvised explosive devices. Intelligence has shown that the group has within its ranks, members who have the knowledge and capability to design and manufacture IEDs. Also, the group engages freelance bomb makers through black market channels for IED services.
FARC also used similar weapons as ISIS, although on a lighter scope. FARC mainly used melee weapons such as daggers, machetes, and axes, as well as firearms such as the AK47 Kalashnikov assault rifle made by the soviets. Through the close links that the group had with its main sympathizer, FARC was able to acquire assault rifles that would be smuggled through the porous borders of Colombia. The consignments mostly came through border regions in which the group was more popular. Proceeds from coca farming and cocaine trafficking played a key role in the armament of the group during its initial stages. Also, weapons that had been left after the end of the decade long civil war were at their disposal. Although the guerilla group was well-armed, the size of its cache of firearms was way smaller than the number of firearms that were in the hands of ISIS. FARC used explosive devices and gas weapons on a few occasions. It is recorded that the group used IEDs only in instances where civilian casualties were as minimal as possible. This is a crucial distinguishing aspect between the two militant groups.
Revolutionary Groups
Both FARC and ISIS share the common factor that they both present themselves as revolutionary organizations rather than terrorist organizations. Revolutionary organizations use methods that have the effect of changing the political and social dynamics radically and deeply. The aim of such groups is not just to gain power but to transform the system. FARC founders and leaders adopted the principles of Lenin, max, bolivar, and Mao ze dong to overthrow or stop the government of Colombia from alienating the rural population in terms of resource allocation, from putting an end to all corrupt practices in the system, and to make land reforms. The group also wanted to free the Colombian people from the grip of the united states, a capitalist nation. Evaluation of the goals of the group positions it as a revolutionary group from one perspective.
ISIS can also be viewed as a group that has a revolutionary agenda. The militant organizations that are rooted in the Islamic principles of Salafi, Takfir, and Jihadism aimed to establish a caliphate that would be governed by strict sharia law. The group promised its followers that it would free them from the York of western foreign countries through a holy jihad. The group claimed that non-Muslim nations had corrupted the moral values, territorial, and religious rights, and also Shia dominated Muslim nations. The group demanded the withdraw of all foreign troops and personnel from different regions of the Arab world and proved that it was willing to do anything to accomplish what it set out to do. The fact that ISIS had a well-established system of governance, finance, military, and law enforcement shows that the group was prepared to go through the process of creating an Islamic caliphate,
The revolutionary approaches adopted by FARC and ISIS differ in many ways. Firstly, the revolutionary struggle of the FARC was aimed at changing the regime of Columbia to put in place a government that was corruption-free and that cared about the rights of people living in the rural areas of the country. Although the group aimed at ending the influence of capitalistic and imperialistic foreign nations such as the United States, its operations were mostly confined within the Colombian borders. on the other hand, ISIS conducted operations aimed at achieving its goals throughout the world. ISIS’s scope of violence was wider than that of FARC as it was targeted at a large population of the globe. The level of violence and brutality of the attacks by ISIS is way greater than that of FARC. ISIS has been blamed for attacks throughout the world that claimed the lives of many soldiers and civilians and left many people wounded. For instance, AQI claimed responsibility for the bombing of western hotels in Jordan in 2005. The bombings claimed the lives of 57 civilians. In 2009, the AQI detonated bombs at several government buildings in Iraq, resulting in fatalities of more than 250. ISIS also massacred many civilians in the newly captured regions as they expanded the caliphate. In Deir Al-Zor, a Syrian province, ISIS executed more than 700 people of the same tribe, while in Ramadi, the group killed more than 500 civilians. These are just examples of the major attacks that were conducted by the group to further their revolutionary goals. The group has carried out beheading live on social media and also sanctioned numerous suicide attacks on those they consider enemies, and their facilities.
The most severe attack orchestrated by FARC was on the 1st of November 1998. On that fateful day, more than 1500 FARC guerillas attacked the city of Mitu and launched a 3-day siege. The city, which is located in the rural southern part of Colombia, was only defended by 120 police officers. It is approximated that 850 people lost their lives in that attack. In 2002, clashes between FARC guerillas and the United Self-Defenders of Colombia resulted in 79 deaths and an unknown number of people who were wounded. Also, in 2009, the FARC massacred 27 members of the Nariño tribe for allegedly conspiring with the enemy. These are some of the attacks conducted by the FARC that resulted in many fatalities. This shows that the militant group adopted a less violent policy than ISIS. FARC fought its revolutionary process through well-orchestrated political machinations that were aimed at weakening the government with the ultimate goal of disposing of it.
Analysis of the Strength of ISIS and FARC
There are many times when the strength, resilience, and ability of the two militant groups to deal with and overcome challenges was tested. The strength of FARC can be evaluated on the basis of their leadership, operational (both political and military), and finance systems. Evaluation of the efficiency in the recruitment process and the number of fighters/combatants affiliated to the group can also be used to evaluate the strength of both militant groups.
One of the most notable challenges in the history of FARC is the cutting off of financial support by the PCC in the 1960s. This came after the top leadership of the guerrilla group realized that it would be difficult to achieve its goals with an external partner. the ties were severed in a time when FARC was desperately trying to grow its support and recruit more combatants. The group had to device new ways of supplementing its budget, which was then reliant on the people living in its strongholds. However, this would later prove to be a contributor to the survival of the over 50-year rebellion that the group waged against the various regimes that have been in power in Colombia. To balance the deficit, FARC had to come up with new innovative ways of raising the much-needed funds to support its armed struggle. These methods included mass kidnappings and extortion. Many Colombians and foreign nations were kidnapped by armed FARC guerillas and ransomed for money. These kidnappings often resulted in many deaths and disappearances. Later in the 70s, FARC had ventured into drug trafficking. From taxation of coca and marijuana farmers to trafficking drugs into the united states, the armed group had established a new revenue stream that could sustain their operations6. Various drug cartels forged alliances with the armed group in exchange for security and logistical support. An example of such cartels is the Medellin cartel headed by Pablo Escobar that, in collaboration with FARC, grew powerful to a level that it could challenge the ruling government directly with impunity.
The strength of ISIS became evident to the allied forces fighting the group in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria due to the ability of the group to acquire and control vast amounts of territory over a relatively short period. Never before had a terrorist organization been able to achieve this. The group was able to effectively replace or integrate the governance systems of the new territories with sharia systems of governance. The group also proved its strength as it proclaimed its authority over the caliphate was the will of God. The group was also able to maintain highly coordinated offense and defense operations on the ground despite the overwhelming force with which they were hit. The group was able to instill fear in the world population whom the group classified as enemies through the use of contemporary media channels as well as social media. Through the spread of its propaganda message through social media, the group was able to recruit many people from across the world as followers, sympathizers, or combatants.
The group has faced many challenges in the process of actualization of its goals. Firstly, leadership disputes between the different militant groups that were affiliated with the group was a significant concern. Although most of the leadership issues were settled amicably, tension always existed in the ranks of the terrorist group. This presented a vulnerability that could be utilized by western forces against the group. The group also faced difficulties in controlling its fighters. Although violence and brutality was part of the strategy of ISIS, some of its fighters did not follow orders and committed actions that were not sanctioned by the leadership.
Conclusion and Recommendations
An assessment of FARC and ISIS in terms of their history, operational strategy, resources, ideologies, among other aspects, has yielded the conclusion that the two groups have more differences than similarities. FARC’s objectives were to overthrow the national government of Colombia and, in its stead, establish a communist government that would end corruption, make land reforms, stop the oppression of rural Colombians, and cut ties with the United States and other capitalist nations. On the other hand, ISIS aimed to establish a caliphate spanning through all Muslim nations that would be governed in adherence to sharia law. Both groups had different approaches to achieving their goals. However, financing and local support were identified as one of the reasons why terrorist organizations can maintain and expand their operations. The free use of social media has also been identified as one of the enabling factors towards the success of ISIS in spreading their propaganda messages and recruiting. Therefore, further research is necessary to provide more information to counter-terrorism and law enforcement agencies in the world to deal with emerging issues of terrorism. Counter-terrorism bodies across the world should not only focus on military incursions but also on dismantling the finance and supply chain networks of FTOs. Social media activities of terrorist organizations should also be closely monitored to deprive them of mass communication channels. It is also worth mentioning that individuals, governments, and non-governmental organizations that aid the operations of FTOs in any way should be slapped with sanctions to discourage the vice.
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