[raxxorrax]

Interesting, but reads a bit like a bad Tom Clancy novel that I read when I was around 12.

I think that "hacking a human" as they described it was the most likely vulnerability. Interesting to see that ISIS actually seem to have a decent infrastructure. From media reports you would believe that they are mainly some barbarians that may have or may have not access to electricity, never mind net access.

That aside: NPR offering a plain text site is just awesome. Found that nearly by accident since I just wanted to accept that damn cookies.

[throwaway_law]

>From media reports you would believe that they are mainly some barbarians that may have or may have not access to electricity, never mind net access.

Isn't that what all reports after 9/11 would have you believe of al-qaeda and the taliban? Complete with videos of masked men "training" in deserts by jumping over logs and climbing ropes? And Reports that Bin Laden is hiding in mountains?

Meanwhile Bin Laden was living in a large compound in Pakistan all but protected by the Pakistani military and I believe 8 of the 9/11 hijackers had degrees in engineering and a couple PhDs among them.

[dwoozle]

Nobody who has read anything serious about ISIS would think that. They were a nascent nation state, installing their own civil servants to run schools, infrastructure, etc. Their propaganda videos were nearly Hollywood level in production quality. They were barbarians in values, not capabilities. They were a massively serious organization and we got Mattis just in time to exterminate them.

[th0ma5]

Since when are they exterminated?

[mieseratte]

I suppose that depends on if you're defining ISIS as a caliphate / nation-state, or as an organization / ideology.

[th0ma5]

I was under the impression that neither definition was exterminated.

[ceejayoz]

ISIS lost virtually all of its territory as quickly as it took it.