Reuters quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on ISIS extremists capturing former members of their organization in Iraq:
“With the wind at their backs, there’s an incentive to seek greater control over Mosul now rather than later,” said Ramzy Mardini, non-resident fellow at the Washington think-tank Atlantic Council.
“They’re not going to allow other insurgent groups to operate in Mosul,” he said. “They may have their sights set on consolidation and transformation of the city into the de facto capital of the caliphate.”
While Mardini said the Islamic State is strong enough to “strike, consolidate, and push other groups out” for now, he sees the long term fate of the group in Mosul as less clear.
“It’s the worst-kept secret that the other insurgent groups that represent the Sunni movement are going to eventually turn against ISIL,” he said.