On Monday, attackers hit a in a shopping mall in a Shia area of Baghdad. One attacker exploded his suicide vest outside the mall, then a second gunman charged inside the mall, opening fire and lobbing grenades. At least 9 people were killed and 13 others wounded. Iraqi police were able to regain control of the mall and shoot the assailant. Taking credit for the attack, ISIS released a statement saying, “What is next will be even more severe and more bitter with the permission of Allah.”
Several hours later at a cafe eighty miles northeast of Baghdad, twin suicide bombings killed 20. One man exploded an IED, then a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle in the area where medics and others gathered to help the wounded.
Turkey was hit on Tuesday, in a city center of Istanbul much like NY’s Times Square. Ten people died and 15 were wounded. Nine of those killed were German tourists, the other was a Turkish national. A Syrian refugee with ties to ISIS was responsible for the attack. It is believed he detonated a suicide vest. There have been numerous attacks in Turkey over the past year, the last one killed more than 100 who had gathered for a peaceful demonstration.
ISIS is based in Raqqa, Syria. They have had this headquarters for four years now, and have trained 36,000 fighters this year alone–nearly double the number trained last year. At least 6,6,00 of those hold passports from Western countries. From Raqqa, ISIS has been able to spread into other countries, such as Libya, which now has 10,000 ISIS fighters. Further troubling is a new report that ISIS is testing chemical weapons.
- Why this Matters: This is first time any terror organization has had a base from which to train and equip its fighters, set up bomb factories, recruit and have a command center for advanced communications. The Obama administration has no known plans to hit Raqqa. President Obama, says he believes ISIS will not be a problem in the future: “They will be gone.” Unless he changes the strategy, it will be up to the next president to do that. The fact is, as long as ISIS has a base, they will continue to gain ground and take lives.
How to Pray: Father, only You know the end from the beginning. Help us to do all things to Your glory. Give our intelligence services and military wisdom and a clear path as they try to keep ISIS from attacking our homeland. Comfort those who mourn. We praise Your name and are grateful that we can call You, Abba, Father.
Praying Citizen 
There is nothing stopping these terrorists, other than endless force
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