The Secret History of ISIS

The Secret History of ISIS

2016, Military and War  -   5 Comments
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Ratings: 7.67/10 from 48 users.

The warning signs were there. The failure to properly act upon them led to the horrific rise of the world's most fearsome terrorist group. The Secret History of ISIS outlines the birth of the organization, their legacy of ghastly bloodshed across the world, and the steps not taken that might have averted their reign altogether.

The eventual founder of ISIS - Abu Musab al-Zarqaw - had been on the radar of the CIA prior to the invasion of Iraq. As detailed in the film, the agency urged the White House for permission to strike al-Zarqawi prior to the war, but they were refused. The ousting of Sadam Hussein left an opening through which al-Zarqawi was empowered to enter.

The film features interviews with the agents who sat on the inside of this power struggle, and they testify to their frustrations at the Bush administration for significantly altering the narrative of their well-researched findings.

The ISIS insurgency plagued the battlefield with a string of suicide bombings, mass killings, savage beheadings, and the capturing of key territories throughout Iraq. It set off a decade of conflict the led to unimaginable casualties and a world gripped in fear.

Helped by the insights of journalists, intelligence agents and former government officials including Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and counter-terrorism advisor Richard Clarke, the filmmakers document the tensions between Osama bin Laden and al-Zarqawi, the barbaric means by which ISIS continued to fester, and the failures of two American presidents to properly heed the threats posed by the terrorist platform. These factors have allowed ISIS to transcend beyond an isolated regional cancer and to spread its influence across nearly 90 attacks around the world.

The film does not flinch when portraying the heinous crimes committed by ISIS during their campaign of carnage. For this reason, squeamish viewers may practice caution when viewing. But a clear portrait of these terrorist tactics and their unbearable costs is essential to understanding the nature of the enemy. Produced by the always exceptional Frontline series, The Secret History of ISIS is an important and well-informed recap of this seminal period.

Directed by: Michael Kirk

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happyDay
happyDay
1 year ago

It make sense. When neos come to power, Wolfowitz had alredy policy where hi wrote about destabilizing middle east in order Afganistan, iraq, Lybia, Syria and finally Iran. Just Iran is not done yet. I feel sorry for those people. I wish neos burn in hell for what they did.

JA Land
JA Land
3 years ago

Ridiculous attempt to blame Bush for ISIS origins. Just silly and terribly inaccurate. Last 20 minutes gets to the origins of ISIS

Zoltán Neveri
Zoltán Neveri
3 years ago

Those countries... take out the dictator and it goes ....

GunnarInLA
GunnarInLA
4 years ago

"...Produced by the always exceptional Frontline series..."
...well, once upon a time that might have been true – in the early years, with Jessica Savage, but during the nineties, Frontline "won awards" and that might symbolize its descent into the "realm of political sycophancy"...today, Frontline serves as one of many propaganda outfits serving US global hegemonic quest and with that, the shame ought to be seen by all who still have some sense of moral and intellectual integrity...
When you're accepted and praised by the establishment, can you really lay claim to being a watchdog in service to the public...Frontline tries to play that game, but never treads where it knows it will hit hard resistance..and we all know what that means...

francesco
francesco
4 years ago

Congratulations, great chess game, I 'm glad you won a foreign conflict which requires endless military intervention against terrorism.