There is no doubt that Islamic State (IS) has transformed the terrorist groups' approach to their operations, targets, funding, tactical movements on the ground and strategic dominance of territories, as has been the case in a number of countries. IS has leapfrogged from the usual attacks of a traditional terrorist group to a new level of combat and strategy that is akin to that of a regular army. It has succeeded in recruiting a large number of veteran fighters, both foreign and domestic to send them to Libya, Syria, Iraq and other countries. IS' ability to fund itself, its ever-increasing number of fighters, advanced military weapons, tactics and strategies have made it the most dangerous terrorist group on the planet. The U.S-led international anti-IS approach: The overall international anti-IS combat is confined to the U.S.-led international coalition's air raids against the militants' sites in Syria and Iraq, using only fighter jets. The U.S. has also sent military personnel in Iraq to help train Iraqi and Kurdish forces in combat. It provided them with intelligence and weapons to dry up IS' sources of funds and the flow of foreign fighters seeking to join it. This strategy, as the U.S. has admitted, will take a lot of time to bear fruit, and until then it has proved completely insufficient in counteracting the group's advance. Concerning its future strategy and expected outcomes, the U.S. is keeping its cards close to its chest, letting out a minimal amount of information and data. The world is still witnessing a massive flow of foreign fighters to IS, which seems to be attracting them through its ability to sustain itself financially and win battles. The extremist group's recent capture of the Iraqi city of Ramadi is proof of the international coalition's failure to conquer the terrorist group. The Arab approach in combating IS: The Arabs lead the fight against IS from several fronts. Egypt, for instance, is combating IS loyalists such as the Sinai-based Wilayat Sinai militants, on its own territories while Bahrain and Qatar allow the U.S. air force to launch its fighter jets from the American military bases located in both countries. Meanwhile, the Arab League countries have also vowed to combat IS on the political and ideological grounds, as Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti said: "IS is the first enemy of Islam". As for Egypt, it has been cooperating with the international coalition on both the security and intelligence levels. However, Egypt has warned time and again that the military solution alone will not be sufficient in countering IS and other terrorist groups. Terrorism has to be fought on the social, intellectual, ideological, cultural and religious levels. Egypt has been calling for a more integrated international coordination and a more comprehensive exchange of intelligence among countries to effectively eradicate the IS threat. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has also been calling for a renewal of the religious discourse to correct the widespread misinterpretations of religious teachings as a key to combating terrorism, stressing on the vital role influential religious institutions such as Al Azhar and the Vatican can play in implementing these reforms. These crucial reforms have the potential to eradicate the very concept of terrorism and extremism from the minds of young people across the world who may consider joining IS. The renewal of the religious discourse will efficiently tackle the problem of extremism and fundamentalism at the roots, eliminating its dangers for generations to come. Ways to eradicate the roots of terrorism: Terrorism is a phenomenon quite difficult to address, as terrorist groups have found ways to grow in secrecy and under suitable conditions, taking advantage of needy and illiterate populations to find easy recruits to fight within their ranks. To halt their expansion at the grassroots, developing countries need to enhance the living and education standards of their poorest citizens to prevent them becoming an easy prey to terrorist groups which brainwash them, attract them and take advantage of their neediness to increase their numbers. The international community should establish a joint rapid deployment force that is well equipped and trained to combat and counter the terrorists' tactical attacks. The U.S., with its pivotal role as leader of the international coalition, should show more transparency regarding its strategies and overcome its differences with other countries like Iran, Russia and China to present a united front to the terrorist menace. The vague approach that the U.S. has adopted towards this vital issue has to evolve into a clearly defined strategy, in complete coordination with the countries of the Arab region, which is after all, the one most subjected to the dangers of this global threat.
