““The death of a jihadist leader is always a dangerous moment for the group as it can lead to internal struggles”
“In general, however, jihadist groups do tend to survive such strikes,” “[Osama] bin Laden was replaced by his former number two, [Ayman] al-Zawahiri, a much less charismatic leader, but one that still heads a powerful and global terror franchise.”
“What al-Baghdadi’s death won’t reverse is Washington’s gradual loss of influence in Syria and the region as a whole, and the perception that America is not a dependable ally.”
“Whatever was done after [the US withdrawal], including the ceasefire and pledge to maintain some US presence to protect ‘the oil’, can only be described as chaotic damage control””