The Daily Star quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani on the implications of the arrest of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s wife:
“It’s possible that this claimed capture of Baghdadi’s wife and child could constitute ‘leverage’ of sorts against ISIS – and ISIS is not opposed in principle to prisoner exchanges,” said Faysal Itani, resident fellow at the Atlantic Council.
“I have my doubts, however, about whether the Lebanese government is reading ISIS correctly. Are these individuals of such high value to ISIS that they would be willing to trade for them? Or will ISIS simply portray this as a violation of a woman’s honor and sanctity of a child, and indeed escalate in response? I lean toward the latter viewpoint.”