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Everything you need to know about the terrorist attacks on Paris

On Friday, Nov. 13, eight attackers struck Paris in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that occurred within minutes of each other. The recent terrorist attacks are the worst France has experienced in peacetime since World War II.

The suicide mission across Paris killed a total of 129 people and wounded at least 352 more, according to CNN. The Paris attacks struck less than a year after the deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo.

The biggest problem with the Paris attacks lies with the realization of how strong of a threat the Islamic State poses to the world.

The Paris attacks affirm the immediate threat that the Islamic State poses to the West and to the entire world. The war in Syria extends far greater than the Middle East. The recent terrorist attacks on Paris further illustrate that it will directly impact many countries.

However, despite the Islamic State’s attack on Paris as a result of France’s warplanes in Syria, terrorist threats should not deter the world from aiding Syria; because that’s exactly what ISIS wants.

The Islamic State, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, is a religious Islamist militant group that seizes and controls territory like a military force, not just a terrorist group.

ISIS also operates as a government, issuing taxes and utilizing extortion and theft to generate funds to organize global attacks, making it much more difficult to fight.

According to BBC, leaders of the Islamic State said they carried out the attacks, claiming that it was a response to France’s military involvement in the air strikes on Syria and Iraq.

The attacks struck the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade de France sports stadium and restaurants and bars in Paris. At 9:20 p.m., the first of eight attacks began at the Stade de France.

A total of three suicide bombers struck the sports stadium, killing one person along with the three suicide bombers.

Minutes after the first attack, gunmen in black vehicles opened fire on civilians sitting at restaurants throughout Paris. They struck the Le Carillon, Le Petit Cambodge, Café Bonne Bière, La Belle Equipe and Comptoir Voltaire, killing 39 people and seriously wounding 28 others. The last attack struck at the Bataclan concert venue when gunmen wielding AK-47 assault rifles stormed the venue and opened fire on the audience, killing 89 people, according to the New York Times.

French President Francois Hollande said the country had been “attacked in a cowardly shameful and violent way” and vowed to be “merciless” in its response to IS militants. Immediately following the Paris attacks, President Hollande closed the country’s borders and declared a state of emergency.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said to NBC News that seven out of the eight total attackers have been proclaimed dead in the attack. The French authorities are still on the hunt for Salah Abdeslam, identified as the renter of a Volkswagen Polo car used in the attack.

In a Special Report by NBC News, President Barack Obama called the attacks on Paris an “outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians” and an attack on “all of humanity.” He pledged that America would support its oldest ally and vowed to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

On Sunday during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Obama said, “The killing of innocent people based on a twisted ideology is an attack not just on France, not just on Turkey, it is an attack on the civilized world.”

According to CNN, White House Deputy National Security Adviser, Ben Rhodes said, “We don’t believe U.S. troops are the answer to the problem [in Syria and Iraq].”

Rhodes pressed Congress to refocus on passing Obama’s new war powers resolution against the Islamic State, which has been awaiting approval for months. Congress’s approval of the more tailored plan would send a signal of the United States’ long-term commitment to the fight.

In September, the Obama administration announced that 10,000 Syrians would be allowed entry in 2016. However with the recent Paris attacks, 27 U.S. states currently oppose letting Syrian refugees into the country due to the recent revelation that one of the suspects in the terrorist attacks entered Europe through a wave of Syrian refugees, according to CNN.

While the final decision rests with the federal government, the states refusing to cooperate could make the process more difficult. Ultimately, the United States should not send ground troops into Syria; instead they should offer their support by aiding the Syrian refugees.

In a video released on Monday an ISIS fighter declared, “I swear to God, as we struck France in its stronghold Paris, we will strike America in its stronghold, Washington.”

Considering these direct threats, the United States needs to increase their security and patrols to safeguard upcoming major events, as well as the city’s mass transit system.

Remember, these radical jihadist Muslims do not represent all Muslims and they do not speak for the Middle East. During this difficult time, we need to remember our humanity.

As President Hollande said to CNN, “Terrorism will not destroy France, because France will destroy it.”

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