The Conflict in Iraq

      Al-Qaeda forces have recently taken control over some major cities in Iraq and are being backed by ISIS, in the hopes of redrawing the borders of the Middle East in order to create a new state that is ruled strictly by the Islamic Law.
      ISIS is an aggressive Sunni military group who have continued to terrorize the country and have already taken over the cities of Falluja, Mosul and Ramadi while on their way to Baghdad. Many people have agreed that Iraq is collapsing, and that they are about to take over the capital. However, on a deeper level, the fight is about politics, not religion. Their government in power is ignoring the needs and requests of the larger part of their country. Since the minister was deemed to be unwilling and reluctant in sharing his power with the Sunni Arabs, the Sunnis took matters onto their own hands. They rioted and protested across the streets of Baghdad, attracting the attention of the government. Hundreds were arrested and killed. Like ISIS, the Sunnis armed themselves, and the tragedies and protests only escalated until they got out of control. ISIS has launched a violent civil war on the country. 
         The Iraqi government is unable to stop the protests, since much of the negative attention is focused around their president, Nouri al-Maliki. Furthermore, their military lacks the weapons and training to effectively bring down the chaos. 
          Because of the civil war in Syria, ISIS has managed to gain support from other countries. The war has caused many extremists and refugees to seek out any protection they can, and ISIS has offered it. The group created a strong and almost trustworthy presence in underdeveloped cities, thus raising trust and loyalty and giving a rise to new terrorists. Obama recently announced that he would send a number of military advisers over to Iraq to grasp more knowledge of the needs of the government. 
         The events that are happening in Iraq are violent and upsetting because many civilians are getting killed along the way, and it needs to be sorted out as quickly as possible before more people get hurt. Violence will not cure anything and will only give a rise to more violence.