ISIS leader al-Baghdadi is killed and various sources are writing that we need to keep up our guard as ISIS will go on. Those sources are almost correct, their underlying idea is good.
When ben Laden was killed al Qaida went into an eclipse, though it still exists. The same may happen to ISIS or - because it emphasized holding territory, something no longer true - it may die.
What isn't going away is militant Islam. Too many millions of young Muslim men have no future and nothing to lose. Firebrands will create messages that motivate them, very likely sooner rather than later.
Given that, was it worth the effort to kill ben Laden and al-Baghdadi? Of course it was. Killing leaders decapitates organizations and creates chaos.
An organization disrupted takes time and money to rebuild, and fosters internal conflict between members with ambition. During this process much less mischief gets done.
Angry young men are a problem anywhere, but a much bigger problem when organized, led and wielded as a weapon. Plus killing terrorist leaders feels like justice to those who've been harmed or terrorized, and reduces the individual recidivism rate to zero.
