IF there were any doubts that the self-styled Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, has become a transnational terrorism threat, its rapid gobbling up of territory in Iraq and its latest ‘conquest’ — the Tabqa military airport in Syria’s Raqqah governorate — should put uncertainties to rest.

Syrian activists say the militants recently took the military facility from government forces after a tough fight. After seizing the key Iraqi town of Mosul and large swathes of territory in that country as well as in Syria, the capture of the airport is another ‘feather’ in the IS cap.

Yet if the militants are not countered, they will threaten the stability of regional states as well as the security of the West. But geopolitics seems to have trumped better sense; while the US and some European states have come to the aid of Iraq’s government and the autonomous Kurds in the north of that country in their battle to contain IS, the Syrian regime has received no such help.

In fact, Washington, as well as many European capitals along with most Arab states, has been more interested in engineering regime change in Damascus.

However, in the ‘mission’ to ensure Bashar al-Assad’s defeat, a variety of dubious armed opposition groups — including some linked to Al Qaeda — have been supported, mainly because of Mr Assad’s tilt towards Iran and his alliance with Hezbollah. Yet this policy has proved disastrous.

Today, the UN says over 191,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict while the extremists who were directly or indirectly supported have aided the rise of the Islamic State. America and its allies must decide who poses a bigger threat to regional peace: Mr Assad or IS? While foreign military intervention is unadvisable, regional countries as well as the West must change tack and cut off support to extremists in Syria — and Bashar al-Assad should be urged to reach a negotiated settlement with the moderate opposition.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2014