ERBIL — Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council, Masrour Barzani, has warned of the possibility of Islamic State (IS) re-emergence in a new form after the group is physically defeated in Iraq and Syria.

Barzani’s remarks were made to The Guardian on Saturday when the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared full victory over IS in their last stronghold in eastern Syria.

“Taking away the territory from ISIS was central to the war. While the cost has been high, and the aftermath palpable in areas across Iraq and Syria, the underlying political and economic conditions remain just as unresolved,” the top Kurdish security official said.

Barzani previously several times urged addressing the root causes which led to the birth of IS in Iraq and Syria, noting that defeating the IS ideology is as essential as defeating the group on the gourd.

“Unless regional governments address those grievances, ISIS will remain one of many symptoms bound to re-emerge in a new form,” he was cited by The Guardian.

“ISIS [Islamic State] is about ideology, not fighters or territory. The group has already adapted to territorial defeat by returning to insurgency in areas with pre-existing sectarian fault-lines. It has gained renewed momentum in recent months across Iraq’s northern provinces using tactics it was always more comfortable with than holding territory.”

Barzani emphasized that concrete measures are needed now as IS sleeper cells have already reappeared to spread panic and fear.

Bas News