The pace of events in the western military campaign against Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria-Iraq is making even recent assessments look singularly dated (see, for example, "Air war vs Islamic State: myth and reality" [28 August 2015]). For there have sInce been developments in three spheres: within the ISIS campaign, the western air war, and - the United Kingdom's use of targeted killings by armed drones (which, though revealed this week, took place on 21 August).
While the first two elements are important, it is likely that the third will have much longer-lasting effects. In that sense, this British change of policy - closely resembling United States actions in a range of countries since drone technology made these possible - may be seen in future as a turning-point.
First, on the ISIS front, the movement has made a number of gains. The retaking of part of the Iraqi town of Baiji, close to a large oil-refinery and the scene of intensive conflict, is notable. Even more so because the Iraqi government had regarded the expulsion of ISIS from most of Baiji as a much-needed success, and because the Iraqi side involved Shi’a militias backed by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps troops.
