Louay Safi, a Syrian dissident, said that the international anti-ISIS coalition’s strategy is contributing to strengthening ISIS and helping it gain more sympathizers. “Since the launch of the US-led bombing campaign against ISIS, sympathy with this extremist group has increased, not out of belief in its fanatical views, but because the international community has put the population in the areas out of control of the authoritarian regimes between in front of two hard choices,” Safi added. “Fighting terrorism has now become a term that despots use to oppress whomever defies their ruling regimes. The terrorism that has thrived in the region is the direct result of injustice and tyranny exercised by the ruling regimes to tighten their grip on power. Defeating terrorism cannot be achieved by military action that causes damage to the population ruled by extremist groups, but by eradicating the root cause of terrorism, namely tyranny and injustice.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)
