Last week, Russia suffered its worst terrorist attack in two decades when gunmen opened fire on a concert venue, killing 137 people and wounding 100 more.
This after Iran suffered its worst terrorist attack since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in January — a suicide bombing that killed 91 people.
And the same group was responsible for both.
ISIS.
Yes, it’s been a while since we heard from the Islamic terrorist group that rose to prominence roughly a decade ago with grisly videos of beheadings and other methods of torture.
But these guys are like cockroaches. You can only get rid of them for a short time before they inevitably come crawling back.
There’s just no eradicating the nest.
Of course, that’s not for lack of trying.
An international coalition teamed up to decimate their operations in the wake of the 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 innocent people.
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Instead, it fractured and scattered, and the withdrawal of the U.S. from Afghanistan provided ample opportunity for ISIS to reconfigure under a slightly new banner (ISIS-K).
ISIS-K even celebrated the departure of U.S. troops with a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed 13 American service members and 170 civilians.
With the United States out of the picture, the Taliban was the only force left to suppress the metastasizing terrorist cell — and, unsurprisingly, they failed.
After all, the Taliban is a far more effective insurgent force than it is a governing body.
So there was plenty of space for ISIS to administer its financial networks, propaganda campaigns, recruitment efforts, and terrorist attacks.
And now we’re seeing the sickening results of that effort.
Except now, it’s somehow worse.
Whereas the United States, Israel, Russia, and Iran were able to set aside their differences to crush ISIS five years ago, such cooperation is totally absent today.
In fact, the opposite is true.
ISIS has proven adept at exacerbating religious and political divides to keep a coherent counterbalance from forming.
Furthermore, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s war against Hamas, and other major points of contention have undone decades of rapprochement and dialogue.
In fact, the animosity is so great and the dedication to established feuds so enduring that Russia and Iran didn’t even blame ISIS for their acts of terrorism — they blamed the United States and Israel.
“Washington says USA and Israel had no role in the terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? A fox smells its own lair first,” Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s political deputy, said as his country mourned. “Make no mistake. The responsibility for this crime lies with the U.S. and Zionist regimes [Israel] and terrorism is just a tool.”
I don’t even know what that whole bit about the fox and the lair means, but screw you too, buddy.
Similarly, Vladimir Putin pointed his finger at Ukraine, despite knowing full well it was ISIS.
And what really makes this so abhorrent is that in both cases, the United States actually warned both Russia and Iran of the potential acts of terrorism before ISIS had the chance to execute them.
Both warnings were ignored.
In the latter case, the U.S. embassy in Russia issued a security alert on March 7 warning “extremists” were planning an attack in Moscow and advised individuals to avoid large gatherings.
Yet on March 19, Vladimir Putin himself decried those very warnings at a meeting of Russia’s Federal Security Service.
“I would also like to recall the recent provocative statements by a number of official Western structures regarding potential terrorist attacks in Russia,” Putin said. “All these actions resemble outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society. You are well aware of them, so I will not go into details at this point.”
Three days later, the attack was carried out.
Same with Iran.
Prior to the ISIS bombing that killed 95 civilians on January 3, the U.S. government gave Iran a private heads-up about a credible terrorist threat.
Nevertheless, Iranian authorities failed to prevent it.
That’s how brutally inept and morally reprehensible the leaders of these countries are.
Not even a terrorist attack on their own soil can get them to acknowledge or accept U.S. outreach. And they’d just as soon see ISIS grow stronger if it means maintaining their grudges against the West.
That doesn’t bode well.
Because while American intelligence is clearly doing its job, thwarting terrorism is a global responsibility.
That’s why the U.S. is willing to tip off even its enemies to potential attacks.
But if that’s only going one way (and it seems to be), then that will make an attack on the United States more likely.
Make no mistake, we are as firmly planted in ISIS’s crosshairs as any other nation — from Russia, to Iran, to Pakistan, and so on.
They hate everyone.
Just to name a few, their propaganda has targeted Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and leaders of both Hamas and the Taliban, which the group seeks to displace.
For that reason, officials warn the next operation could target virtually anyone, including U.S. citizens.
U.S. Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla said just that in testimony before Congress last week.
“ISIS-Khorasan retains the capability and the will to attack U.S. and Western interests abroad in as little as six months with little to no warning,” he said.
Furthermore, Kurilla went on…
“China and Russia are quick to capitalize on destabilizing influences. They have shown meager interest or capability to reduce regional tensions, but rather, they have increased their efforts to pressurize regional partners across all elements of national power… and foster a chaotic landscape favorable for their exploitation.”
And that’s the rub.
Countries like Russia, China, and Iran are content to let groups like ISIS run wild because they view the chaos and calamity they cause as a net positive — even if it means sacrificing their own citizens in a terrorist attack.
Think about that.
And while you do, think about how you want to invest knowing it.
What stocks do you want to be holding as these conflicts continue to escalate?
What stocks go up in the wake of terrorist attacks?
What kinds of companies are being called up to defend against those attacks?
And what companies ensure American security in the face of all of these threats?
It’s companies like this one — and the others I recommend in Secret Stock Files.
Fight on, Jason Simpkins Simpkins is the founder and editor of Secret Stock Files, an investment service that focuses on companies with assets — tangible resources and products that can hold and appreciate in value. He covers mining companies, energy companies, defense contractors, dividend payers, commodities, staples, legacies and more… In 2023 he joined The Wealth Advisory team as a defense market analyst where he reviews and recommends new military and government opportunities that come across his radar, especially those that spin-off healthy, growing income streams. For more on Jason, check out his editor’s page. Be sure to visit our Angel Investment Research channel on YouTube and tune into Jason’s podcasts. Want to hear more from Jason? Sign up to receive emails directly from him ranging from market commentaries to opportunities that he has his eye on. 
