Released ISIS Captive Gives Strategy to Defeat ISIS

[embed]https://youtu.be/DYMfkhNJriQ[/embed]French journalist Nicolas Henin recently returned home after being held hostage by ISIS for 10 months. In an interview with The Syrian Campaign, Henin tells the best way to defeat ISIS, and expresses that air strikes in Syria only galvanize followers for them. He further states that they are “a trap” for Western countries. One of the points he emphasized was a no-fly zone in rebel-head areas of Syria. Perhaps the most chilling fact he stated was that, "for every murder by ISIS, 10 are murdered by Assad's regime."Henin states in the interview that, “The winner of this war will not be the party that has the newest, the most expensive or the most sophisticated weaponry, but the party that manages to win over the people on its side.”He applauded the efforts of the European Union, and more importantly, Angela Merkel, for their inclusive policy toward the refugees influx that began in September. According to Henin, ISIS closely watches the news and that this hallmark moment of humanity was "a blow to ISIS" because it destroyed the myth of Islamaphobia in the West.However, he cautions that, "This is why they probably tried to manipulate the public during the Paris attacks,” he said. “To make us close our borders, and maybe even more importantly, close our minds.”“What we have to do – and this is really key – is we have to engage the local people. As soon as the people have hope for a political solution, the Islamic State will just collapse.“There will be a very easy way to make Isis lose ground at a high speed. The international community must decide all regions held by the Syrian opposition are no-fly zones."“No-fly zones for everybody. Not the coalition, not the Russians, not the regime, nobody. Providing security for people [there] would be devastating for Isis. That’s what the international community should focus on.”"Why are we making so many mistakes? Why are people so misunderstanding [ISIS's] vision?"“We are just fueling our enemies and fueling the misery and disaster for the local people.”As mentioned in my previous articles, the war against ISIS cannot solely be won with the newest aircraft or largest fighting force: it must be won with soft power at home and abroad. Soft power that is directed toward fellow allies, fledgling states, victims of war, refugees, and those susceptible to ISIS propaganda.See original post here.