Fort McNair, Washington DC –
INSS co-sponsored a day-long “ISIL, Social Media and Radicalization in South Asia” Symposium on July 28, 2015 at NDU in Lincoln Hall Auditorium. Nicholas J. Rasmussen, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) gave the keynote address on ISIL as an evolving threat globally and in South Asia. Panelists on three separate plenaries then shared their views on what separates ISIL from other terrorist organizations, such as social media use and the unique features of its ideology; and how those differences are impacting ISIL's relevance in the ISIL-designated "Khorasan region" across South Asia. The Symposium concluded with a discussion about ISIL’s opponents in the region, such as Al-Qaeda; the Taliban; the governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India; and others with a desire to counter ISIL's power and influence in South Asia.