Since events of September 11 and the subsequent conflicts surrounding the event, the war against terrorism has been constantly present. It has been used several methods and strategies to address these threats, including a method current in use, the targeting method. The method refers to use few but precise attacks to knock out key functions within these organizations, mostly individuals in the higher command and control structures within these organizations. The effectiveness of the method has been put in question when the majority of the terrorist organizations continue their strife, in some cases even increasing its intensity. The purpose of this study is to investigate which role the higher command plays in these organizations ability to wage war. This study utilize the organization ISIS as a representative for other similar Islamist terrorist organizations. The study use theories regarding network based groups and decentralized organizations in order to explain the structure of ISIS.
The study shows that ISIS is an organization which has largely evolved into something other than what is described as an typical terrorist organization, the organization is more like one among other nations with a large and well structured organization, where management conditions are clear and well developed. ISIS can be a inconsistency in terrorist organizations, but may also have developed like the theoretician Galula named as the fourth step in the orthodox model of an terrorist or irregular force inevitable development in the struggle for control.