ISIS executioners like so-called Jihadi John are still in the U.S. crosshairs — but the list focuses on targeting those whose death would broadly hurt ISIS. The kill list may now expand as the U.S. struggles to understand an ISIS command structure made more confusing by the growth of ISIS adherents in Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Libya. One analyst cautions those labeling themselves as ISIS all may have very different goals.
“We have to take each terrorist or cult organization in every country as a separate entity. We can’t look at it as one big group. You may miss the most important targets when you are doing that,” said Mark Hertling, CNN military analyst.
The execution of Egyptian Christians on the Libyan coastline underscores the targeting problem. The U.S. wants to identify the killers. But the broader worry is ISIS’s position in Libya. It now has a stronghold in Derna and operates across Libyan coastal areas within reach of southern Europe via busy shipping lanes.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member