Iraq (MNN) — United States military leaders say the Islamic State remains a persistent “low-level” threat in Iraq. A new Inspector General report says terrorists exploit regional weaknesses while building their ranks and biding their time.
The extremists maintain cash reserves in the range of tens of millions of dollars. Speaking through an interpreter, an Iraqi believer named Umran* says the funding could come from several sources.
One of the towns outside Mosul destroyed by Islamic State terrorists. (Caption, photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)
“Countries around Iraq are the ones that many Iraqis believe are [supporting] ISIS. There are other organizations and countries that are generally against the propagation of American values and/or Christian values in the Arab world; those are also supporting ISIS,” Umran says.
“There are some people [who] believe leadership within the country is continuing to support ISIS because they want it to stay weak so that they can continue to benefit from the corruption within Iraq.”
Even as the U.S. announces plans to reduce its presence in Iraq, the Islamic State makes its “staying power” known. “Attacks in Baghdad in January and April 2021 underscore the group’s resilience despite heavy counter-terrorism pressure from Iraqi authorities,” intelligence agencies wrote in a United Nations report last month.
The Islamic State may not be leaving Iraq anytime soon. But neither is our God.
“All [of these] difficult situations, we couldn’t have gotten through any of this without God’s help. God is continuing to work, but many people are against the work of God and the development of God’s kingdom in our country,” Umran says.
Pray Iraqi believers may have the Lord’s strength, patience, and endurance. Use the prompts listed alongside this article to guide further intercession.
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“We continue to pray, we continue to beg God, but ultimately these steps need time,” Umran says.
“We’re trusting in God’s perfect timing for His transformation of our country.”
*Pseudonym
Header image depicts a house destroyed by the war with ISIS in Sinjar, Iraq. (Photo courtesy of Levi Meir Clancy/Unsplash)
