There is a consensus that the success of ISIS to control Mosul was a big surprise and that the ease with which this control was achieved even surprised ISIS itself. It’s also claimed that a combination of planning and serendipity facilitated this process of control. But the factor of co-incidence should not take away the fact that jihadist groups rely on a high level of strategic planning and tactical preparation. Such recognition will help us better understand what has transpired in Iraq and Syria in recent months. Jihadist organisations have gone through multiple processes of revision and witnessed debates, defections and conflicts among their various ideological streams over determining their priorities. But they have ultimately agreed upon a set of conceptions and visions that expressed their political theory.
