Islamic State ready to expand beyond the Middle East

                                                           By UPI


       Today's hydra serpent of world terrorism is no longer al-Qaida or Taliban but the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daish in Arabic.

Daish is now out to destroy civilized humanity. It is not only recognized by powerful Islamist terror groups the world over, but the major ones have pledged allegiance to its goal and have accepted its present leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the global Caliph.
Daish has emerged as the world's most powerful army of insurgents (some 40,000 fighters at its command and some $2 billion in stolen oil money). It is also a growing global terrorist conglomerate.
The breakdown by regions:
-- Middle East: Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (Gaza Strip). Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (Egypt).
-- North Africa: Jund Kalhilafah (Algeria). Ansar al-Sharia (Libya); Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia).
-- West Africa: Boko Haram (Nigeria and neighboring smaller countries).
-- Central Asia: IMZ (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan).
-- Southeast Asia: Abu Sayyaf (Philippines, Malaysia); BISF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Philippines).
-- South Asia: Islamia Jamia (Bangladesh).
On Oct. 20, Daish announced it was expanding its caliphate from Iraq and Syria to include a territory they call Khorasan, which includes Pakistan, Afghanistan and the northern part of India.
IS recently penetrated Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and industrial hub. IS wall chalking is visible in widely scattered parts of the world's largest urban sprawl of 23 million.
Similar chalking, in Arabic, is now seen throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan's former Northwest Frontier province).
Pakistani intelligence believes IS now has a clandestine office operating in Karachi where the army is planning to launch a major operation similar to the one about to be concluded in North Waziristan.
Prime Minister Nawaz is evidently ignoring the fact that TTP, the Pakistan Taliban, is already working with IS with a view to obtaining a major say in the emerging global terrorist organization. In fact, TTP spokesperson Shahiddullah Shahid has already joined IS, along with other TTP topsiders. Among TTP defectors to IS are leaders of several tribal agencies who no longer recognize Mullah Omar as the head of Taliban in Afghanistan.
The army command is ignoring Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is on a flight of fancy still negotiating with the TTP domestic terrorist group with a view to making them a legitimate opposition.
Pakistan intelligence sources say TTP -- the Pakistani Taliban -- concluded Pakistan is no longer a safe haven under Prime Minister Sharif. IS is seen by TTP leaders as their salvation in a global caliphate. Similarly, IS sees a plentiful pool of human resources among Taliban ranks and al-Qaida factions that otherwise are losing control rapidly to a highly focused operation by the Pakistani Army to get rid of all aspects of terror.
On the other hand, Taliban's Mullah Omar still sees an opportunity to move in where the U.S. moves out. The new unity government in Afghanistan is fragile and heavily dependent on U.S. aid, which may no longer find favor in the U.S. Congress beyond the departure of the bulk of U.S. troops.
In 2015, Afghanistan may fall under two rival governments. Afghan Taliban already look stronger than the country's new coalition government directed by two rival political figures, Ghani and Abdullah.
Pakistan's generals believe the time is at hand for a joint working plan with the U.S. to thwart the possibility of a larger Afghan sanctuary of terrorists from all over the world that seek to join IS.
For the U.S., the time may be at hand to try to safeguard a trillion dollar investment in an ultra volatile region. And Pakistan's generals say this can only be done in close alliance with Pakistan's military.
Baluchistan's Chief Minister Malik Baloch says IS terrorists are already in his province, a serious threat to the Pakistan federation. The Baluchistan Liberation Army and other fronts are actively challenging the Pakistani federation.
The Pakistani army is determined to crush anti-state dissent before it becomes another TTP.