Iraq PM: We Lost 2,300 American Humvees to ISIS in Mosul Alone

[galdur]

In a new video purportedly released by the Islamic State titled “Kill Them Wherever You Find Them,” ISIS threatens Paris with more “November 13” style attacks. The video was released by ISIS’ Al-Hayat Media and features the eight November 13 Paris attackers, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud.

The video begins and is presented as if it were an encrypted email. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has commented on the encryption code shown and has called it “fake.”

The video then shows the eight Paris attackers (four Belgian, three French, and two Iraqi) killing ISIS prisoners. The footage appears to prove that the Paris attackers spent time being radicalized by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria before the November 13 attacks.

Two of the men that perpetrated beheadings in the video include Abu Fuad and Abu Qital, who were allegedly “sent by [Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi.”

The video also calls for more lone wolf attacks by ISIS members in Paris and the West.

http://heavy.com/news/2016/01/new-isis-islamic-state-news-pictures-videos-kill-them-wherever-you-find-them-et-tuez-les-ou-que-vous-les-rencontriez-french-english-translation-paris-attacks-full-uncensored-youtube/

[1713857722]

1713857722

[1713857722]

1713857722

[galdur]

ISIS planning for 'large-scale' attacks on Europe: Europol

AMSTERDAM (AFP) - The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has honed the ability to launch global attacks and is set to focus more on Europe following the Paris massacre, the chief of the EU police agency Europol said on Monday (Jan 25).

Rob Wainwright told a news conference that “the so-called Islamic State had developed a new combat style capability to carry out a campaign of large-scale terrorist attacks on a global stage – with a particular focus in Europe.”

“So-called Islamic State has a willingness and a capability to carry out further attacks in Europe, and of course all national authorities are working to prevent that from happening,” he added.


Wainwright was unveiling the findings of a new Europol report on changes in how the extremist group operates, coinciding with the launch of the agency’s new counterterrorism centre in The Hague.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the Nov 13 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed, releasing a video on Sunday purporting to show nine of the extremsts in which they threaten “coalition countries” including Britain.

A US-led coalition has been fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq since September 2014.

“ISIS is preparing more terrorist attacks, including more ‘Mumbai-style’ attacks, to be executed in member states of the EU, and in France in particular,” the Europol report said.

“The attacks will be primarily directed at soft targets, because of the impact it generates. Both the November Paris attacks and the October 2015 bombing of a Russian airliner suggest a shift in ISIS strategy towards going global.”

ISIS had developed an “external action command” which was trained for “special forces-style attacks” internationally, the report said.

But the report played down fears that extremists were smuggling themselves into Europe as part of the huge wave of refugees and migrants that the continent is dealing with, many of whom are fleeing the war in Syria.

“There is no concrete evidence that terrorist travellers systematically use the flow of refugees to enter Europe unnoticed,” it said.

It warned however that many new arrivals were vulnerable to radicalisation or recruitment, with evidence that extremist recruiters were specifically targeting refugee centres.

One of the main tasks of the new Europol counter-terrorism centre was to collect details on the estimated 5,000 Europeans who have gone to fight with ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Wainwright said.

“We already have details on 3,700 fighters actively engaged in the conflict zone but that’s not the full picture and it’s something we will be addressing through priority work of the new centre,” it said.

Meanwhile British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office on Monday dismissed the latest video released by ISIS.

“We’re in the process of examining this latest propaganda video which is another move from an appalling terrorist group that’s clearly in decline and in retreat,” Cameron’s spokeswoman told reporters.

The footage shows a picture of Cameron accompanied by the words in English: “Whoever stands in the ranks of kufr (unbelievers) will be a target for our swords.”

http://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/isis-planning-for-large-scale-attacks-on-europe-europol

[salinizm]

Seeks More Arms and Vehicles From US

by Jason Ditz, May 31, 2015


In an interview today on Iraqiya TV, Prime Minister Hayder Abadi made a plea for more US military aid, saying the country lost a lot of weapons over the course of last year’s war, including large caches abandoned by troops in the initial ISIS push last summer.

“We lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone,” noted Abadi. The Humvees weren’t destroyed, by and large, but were rather simply left behind by fleeing troops, and were subsequently taken by ISIS. The Humvees were only a portion of what was lost, as ISIS acquired tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, basically a small army’s worth of advanced US gear in the fall of the major city.

After the fall of Mosul, the US began seeking to ratchet up sales and aid to Iraq, and approved the sale of another 1,000 Humvees to Iraq, an estimated $579 million deal. How much of that has been delivered so far is unclear, but the fall of Ramadi this month led to scores of additional armored vehicles, including Humvees, being seized by ISIS.

There has been surprisingly little debate in the US about the wisdom of further shipments to Iraq’s military, inasmuch as those shipments have tended to amount to delayed shipments to ISIS, and the Pentagon has hyped the large number of Humvees and armored vehicles it has destroyed in the war so far, seemingly oblivious to the fact that those are US-provided arms that the US is just going to keep providing.

http://news.antiwar.com/2015/05/31/iraq-pm-we-lost-2300-american-humvees-to-isis-in-mosul-alone/

it is really scary that isis has such powerful weapons... now, they can attack every country whenever they want.. nato shoud take precatuions..

[vero]

ISIS planning for 'large-scale' attacks on Europe: Europol

AMSTERDAM (AFP) - The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has honed the ability to launch global attacks and is set to focus more on Europe following the Paris massacre, the chief of the EU police agency Europol said on Monday (Jan 25).

Rob Wainwright told a news conference that “the so-called Islamic State had developed a new combat style capability to carry out a campaign of large-scale terrorist attacks on a global stage – with a particular focus in Europe.”

“So-called Islamic State has a willingness and a capability to carry out further attacks in Europe, and of course all national authorities are working to prevent that from happening,” he added.


Wainwright was unveiling the findings of a new Europol report on changes in how the extremist group operates, coinciding with the launch of the agency’s new counterterrorism centre in The Hague.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the Nov 13 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed, releasing a video on Sunday purporting to show nine of the extremsts in which they threaten “coalition countries” including Britain.

A US-led coalition has been fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq since September 2014.

“ISIS is preparing more terrorist attacks, including more ‘Mumbai-style’ attacks, to be executed in member states of the EU, and in France in particular,” the Europol report said.

“The attacks will be primarily directed at soft targets, because of the impact it generates. Both the November Paris attacks and the October 2015 bombing of a Russian airliner suggest a shift in ISIS strategy towards going global.”

ISIS had developed an “external action command” which was trained for “special forces-style attacks” internationally, the report said.

But the report played down fears that extremists were smuggling themselves into Europe as part of the huge wave of refugees and migrants that the continent is dealing with, many of whom are fleeing the war in Syria.

“There is no concrete evidence that terrorist travellers systematically use the flow of refugees to enter Europe unnoticed,” it said.

It warned however that many new arrivals were vulnerable to radicalisation or recruitment, with evidence that extremist recruiters were specifically targeting refugee centres.

One of the main tasks of the new Europol counter-terrorism centre was to collect details on the estimated 5,000 Europeans who have gone to fight with ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Wainwright said.

“We already have details on 3,700 fighters actively engaged in the conflict zone but that’s not the full picture and it’s something we will be addressing through priority work of the new centre,” it said.

Meanwhile British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office on Monday dismissed the latest video released by ISIS.

“We’re in the process of examining this latest propaganda video which is another move from an appalling terrorist group that’s clearly in decline and in retreat,” Cameron’s spokeswoman told reporters.

The footage shows a picture of Cameron accompanied by the words in English: “Whoever stands in the ranks of kufr (unbelievers) will be a target for our swords.”

http://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/isis-planning-for-large-scale-attacks-on-europe-europol

But the report played down fears that jihadists were smuggling themselves into Europe as part of the huge wave of refugees and migrants that the continent is dealing with many of whom are fleeing the war in Syria.

[galdur]

Iraq's military said on Friday it was mobilizing troops to prepare for an offensive the government has pledged to launch this year to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State.

Hundreds of forces from the army's 15th division reached Makhmour base, 70 km (45 miles) south of Mosul, and more forces, including Sunni Muslim tribal fighters, were expected to arrive in coming days, said Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the joint operations command.

Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi told Reuters last month that Iraq would launch the Mosul operation in the first half of the year and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said 2016 would see the "final victory" against the militants.

Some U.S. officials have endorsed that assessment, but a top U.S. intelligence officer told Congress this week any operation to retake Mosul would be long and complex and unlikely to finish this year.

With more than a million people still living there, Mosul is the largest city controlled by Islamic State, which declared a 'caliphate' in swathes of territory it seized in Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014.

Retaking it would be a huge boost for Iraqi forces who, backed by air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition, reclaimed the western city of Ramadi from Islamic State in late December.

Mosul, however, is a far larger city with a populace made up of many sects. And even in Ramadi, Iraqi forces are still working to secure that city and its environs.

Iraq's Rasool told Reuters on Friday that troop movements south of Mosul were being coordinated with the peshmerga, the armed forces of the autonomous Kurdish region north and east of Nineveh which are expected to join the campaign.

"Once we complete all the preparations, we will officially announce the date for the start of Mosul operations," he added.

The United States, which is leading an international campaign in both Iraq and Syria to defeat the jihadist group, has said its strategy is to regain territory at the heart of Islamic State's cross-border state, take Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa, and destroy the confidence of its fighters that it can expand as a magnet for jihadis.

Iraq's army, weakened by years of corruption and mismanagement following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, is trying to rebuild itself after collapsing 18 months ago in the face of Islamic State's lightning advance.

(Reporting By Stephen Kalin and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-mosul-idUSKCN0VL27Z

[bryant.coleman]

i thought it was gifted to the ISIS 

I think it was. Over 2000 Humvees, 40 tanks, artillery batteries and enough smaller arms for an army. If you don´t blow all that up before leaving it´s a gift.

Why these vehicles should be blown up? They were not surrounded or under siege. There was a land passage connecting the government held areas, and it was possible to evacuate these heavy weaponry and equipment rather than handing them over to the ISIS in a platter. Had they run out of fuel, then it was still understandable. But that was not the case.

[galdur]

i thought it was gifted to the ISIS 

I think it was. Over 2000 Humvees, 40 tanks, artillery batteries and enough smaller arms for an army. If you don´t blow all that up before leaving it´s a gift.

Why these vehicles should be blown up? They were not surrounded or under siege. There was a land passage connecting the government held areas, and it was possible to evacuate these heavy weaponry and equipment rather than handing them over to the ISIS in a platter. Had they run out of fuel, then it was still understandable. But that was not the case.

They ran away leaving those vehicles and tanks and a mountain of arms. If you leave it intact for the enemy it´s a gift.

[blackbird307]

I wouldn't wonder if those vehicles were left on purpose. They want the war to continue. Wars make money.

[bryant.coleman]

They ran away leaving those vehicles and tanks and a mountain of arms. If you leave it intact for the enemy it´s a gift.

That was not my point. Why couldn't these soldiers take their vehicles, and then run away using them? All the Humvees were loaded with fuel, and it was possible to transport them to the government controlled territory. And we should not forget the fact that the Iraqi soldiers had the numerical advantage of 1:100 over the ISIS barbarians.

[galdur]

ISIS Engages in Heavy Recruiting in Pakistan
New Affiliate Has Growing Presence in Karachi

by Jason Ditz, March 02, 2016

Beyond its massive territorial possessions in Iraq and Syria, ISIS is establishing affiliates across the world, recruiting wherever they can find potential followers. One of the biggest potential recruiting pools is Pakistan.

ISIS has found several fertile environments around the world for recruitment, and several where territory was more readily seized. In Pakistan, seizing territory outright is likely to be far more difficult, with myriad Islamist factions already in place in the tribal areas, and a powerful military.

Karachi, one of the biggest cities on the planet, seems to be the center of ISIS recruitment in Pakistan, reflecting the different approach ISIS has to take in Pakistan than in, say, Libya. There’s no realistic chance of ISIS ever taking over Karachi, but it’s a huge city with a lot of disaffected people in it, perfect recruitment targets.

ISIS has also established a fast growing affiliate in neighboring Afghanistan, and with that affiliate based around Jalalabad, on the Pakistan border, they are finding themselves quickly at odds with not only the governments there, but with rival militants who don’t want the competition.

http://news.antiwar.com/2016/03/02/isis-engages-in-heavy-recruiting-in-pakistan/

[galdur]

Syrian Kurds: Over 200 Killed in Fighting With ISIS Over Tel Abyad
YPG Insists They Retain Control Over Town

by Jason Ditz, March 02, 2016

ISIS attacked the town of Tel Abyad, on the Syria-Turkey border, over the weekend and fighting raged for several days. The Kurdish YPG is claiming victory, but a costly one, claiming over 200 people were killed in the fighting there.

YPG official Redur Xelil reported 140 ISIS fighters were killed in the battle, along with 43 YPG fighters. 23 civilian bystanders were also slain in the course of the fighting over the key border crossing.



Initial reports were that some of the ISIS fighters who attacked Tel Abyad crossed in from the Turkish side of the border. US airstrikes were launched around the area over the weekend, aiming to stall the ISIS advance.

The YPG seized Tel Abyad back in June and has held it in the face of several offensives by ISIS since. The town is the most convenient border crossing into Turkey from the ISIS capital of Raqqa, and its loss has forced ISIS to use more roundabout paths.

http://news.antiwar.com/2016/03/02/syrian-kurds-over-200-killed-in-fighting-with-isis-over-tel-abyad/

[galdur]

ISIS Lines Collapsing as Syrian Army Closes in on Palmyra, Raqqa
With the ceasefire largely holding, the Syrian Army and its allies can now focus on destroying ISIS

With the fragile ceasefire largely holding, the Syrian army and its allies have driven eastward into ISIS-held territory. And they've made significant gains in the last week:

On Friday morning in the southeastern countryside of the Homs Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army’s 120th Brigade of the 2nd Division – in close coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF), Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham (Desert Hawks Brigade), and Dara’ Qalamoun (Qalamoun Shield) – continued their advance towards the strategic city of Quraytayn, striking the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham’s (ISIS) positions at the important hilltop of Tal Quraytayn.
ISIS is now facing attacks on at least 3 fronts:...more

http://russia-insider.com/en/isis-lines-collapsing-syrian-army-closes-raqqa/ri13187

[magnific61]

Usa directly supported Isis by dropping them logistical materials from planes in Iraq. It is, interesting that, when Al Queda ended, ISIS began from Al Queda left.
Did you know that Bin Ladeen was Bush's company's partner?

[mrflibblehat]

That's good. Keep sending supplies.

[galdur]

The definition of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.---A. Einstein

[galdur]

Idiots arming morons, chapter 638...

Tanks for nothing! US-backed Syrian rebel division attacked & looted by Al-Qaeda affiliate

Published time: 14 Mar, 2016 05:52

In what could be one of the worst failures of the Pentagon’s program to arm Syrian rebels, several bases with American weapons, armored vehicles and US-trained fighters were captured by Al-Nusra Front. The jihadists and “moderate rebels” are blaming each other for the attack.
Trends
Syria unrest
READ MORE: ‘Truce hasn’t changed anything, terrorists intensified attacks’ – Aleppo residents to RT

Division 13 of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which had received both US weapons and training, on Sunday said it was attacked by Al-Nusra Front militants – radical Islamist fighters affiliated with Al-Qaeda. The jihadists looted the FSA group’s depots in the town of Maarrat Al-Nuuman in Syria’s Idlib province.

Read more
EXCLUSIVE: Turkey ‘protects & supplies’ Al-Nusra camps at its border – Syria’s YPG to RT
Though it has widely been reported that weapons and dozens of Division 13 fighters have been captured, there are conflicting accounts of how much the jihadists could actually carry. Some media reports claimed that the haul included US-supplied TOW anti-tank missiles, firearms and ammunition, and unspecified armored vehicles, including a tank. The rebel group’s chief has denied they have lost anti-tank missiles, telling AFP that only “light weapons” have been taken.

Moreover, up to 40 Division 13 fighters have been taken hostage and four killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said, though the remote “sources on the ground” routinely cited by the UK-based organization are often hard to verify.

Adding to the rebel group’s dismay, Al-Nusra was also the first to release an online statement – blaming Division 13 for provoking the attack. In turn, the rebels denied attacking Al-Nusra and accused them of an unexpected armed assault on a checkpoint, set up at the request of the local population.

The reason reportedly given by the US-backed group as to why they couldn’t have attacked the Islamists? Too weak for the job.


The feud between the militant factions, once close allies in fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces, has been brewing for some time, according to AP. Al-Nusra has recently suppressed demonstrations and arrested protesters in the city of Idlib, and reportedly replaced the tricolor of the Syrian rebels with the black Al-Qaeda flag there.

On Friday, in Maaret al-Numan, motorcyclists waving the black flag of Al-Nusra threatened to fire on a protest, shouting “Allahu akbar” or “God is greatest.”

Read more
Members of Al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front. © Ammar AbdullahCapture or betrayal? US-trained Syrian rebels with weapons end up in hands of Nusra jihadists
Interestingly, Al-Nusra has a history of looting US-backed opposition forces: last summer, jihadists kidnapped members of the US-trained Division 30, while in September a whole stock of US-supplied weapons and hardware was captured.

The Pentagon’s failed rebel-training program was canceled in October, after dozens of US-trained rebels abandoned Division 30 and handed the weapons they had been supplied to Al-Nusra upon crossing from Turkey into Syria.

However, the head of US Central Command, General Lloyd Austin, proposed to restart training for Syria’s so-called “moderate” rebels.

A month later, the US State Department admitted that some of the “moderates” had been successfully recruited by Al-Nusra in Syria.

READ MORE: ‘US created monster of al-Qaeda, yet believes Iran supported 9/11 terrorists' (OP-ED)

https://www.rt.com/news/335476-syria-nusra-loots-pentagon-rebels/

[galdur]

ISIS plans for mini-Caliphate gains momentum

Hafsa Kara-Mustapha

Hafsa Kara-Mustapha is a journalist, political analyst and commentator with a special focus on the Middle East and Africa. She has worked for the FT group and Reuters and her work has been published in the Middle East magazine, Jane's Foreign report, El Watan and a host of international publications. A regular pundit on TV and radio, Hafsa can regularly be seen on RT and Press TV.

Published time: 21 Mar, 2016 12:17

According to ISIS, the Caliphate needs to spread from Iraq all the way to the Atlantic. The terror network that emerged in Iraq in the aftermath of the US-led invasion of 2003, is moving West after establishing a firm base in Libya.
The organization that relies on US support to clear Arab ground before it settles has opted for Tunisia as its next outpost.

In early March, ISIS operatives carried out a daring attack on a small town in the south of Tunisia, close to the Libyan border.

Most of the assailants were eventually killed or captured, but the attack left Tunisia severely scarred. After suffering several attacks in the last twelve months, this latest foray well inside Tunisian territory clearly indicates ISIS is looking to settle in the small North African nation.

The Tunisian army, which in the past couple of years has been working in close collaboration with the Algerian military in a bid to stop both ISIS and Al Qaeda in the Maghreb from crossing their respective borders, failed this time to stop what numerous sources had been predicting for weeks.

ISIS terrorists entered Tunisia and attempted the take-over of the town of Ben Guedrane. The town itself is small and insignificant, but its capture would have signaled the permanent presence of ISIS inside a new nation.

The goal, as it turned out, was to establish a small Caliphate inside Tunisia.

Despite having an overtly anti-radical government Tunisia is the country that surprisingly has provided ISIS with its highest number of recruits.

The deepening economic crisis in which Tunisia was thrown into after the ouster of Ben Ali and the consequent Arab Spring meant that young unemployed Tunisians were increasingly attracted to the concept of 'jihad' that would guarantee them a regular income and potential for progression in the ranks of an organization with grand ambitions.

The disenfranchised youth of Tunisia were providing the ideal fertile ground for ISIS to not only inflate its numbers but act as the 'respectable' face of ISIS. As perfect Arab speakers, Tunisians can therefore claim to understand Arabic and the sacred texts used by the organization to justify its actions. Those recruits coming from Europe or Asia and who do not understand Arabic are therefore entirely reliant upon native speakers to translate or narrate the texts they will need to establish the much dreamed about Caliphate.

Interestingly, while the Tunisian recruits are neither scholars or even remotely versed in theological studies, their limited knowledge is what makes them prized recruits, teaching non- Arab speaking arrivals whatever is needed to be learned irrespective of its authenticity or not: packaging the teachings in Arabic is what makes the discourse appear authentic. The European recruits rely on Arab speakers to translate supposedly sacred texts their 'teachers' never actually read themselves.

In this opaque scene of selective learning, recruiters are able to manipulate the new arrivals as they wish, but the help of native Arab speakers is essential in making the deceit believable.

That some Tunisian recruits were in fact involved in a life of petty crime prior to their arrival in Syria or Iraq is neither a deterrent for ISIS' leadership or a barrier for progress. In fact, their murky pasts are often a boon to the organization as they become favorable to carrying out the worst crimes in a bid to prove their loyalty to their new - generous - employers.

Exploiting oil resources from Southern Iraq, as well as generating money from human trafficking, ISIS is a fabulously wealthy organization that can afford to reward its diligent recruits handsomely.

For those escaping what has now become abject poverty in Tunisia, the offer is attractive in particular as job opportunities in once prosperous Libya have dried up since the country was destroyed by a NATO-led war in 2011.

The fall of Ben Guedrane would have signaled a major victory for ISIS in particular as it is having to retreat from some areas of Syria, and is looking to develop its presence in Libya and further southwest into the African continent.

Meanwhile, Britain and the US are deploying troops with the official aim of destroying ISIS, implanted in Libya thanks to their military operation five years ago.

A return to peace in Libya is certainly not in Britain or the US' interest in light of the huge funds frozen by these governments when it was decided Gaddafi had to be removed.

Through the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), Gaddafi - thanks to the oil price hike of 2007-2010 - pumped billions into scores of projects. From stakes in major companies, to prime real estate in London, Paris or Rome, the funds currently frozen and unaccounted for run into several billions.

Pearson, one time owner of the Financial Times, even sold a 3 percent stake to the LIA.

Should ISIS target Tunisia in such a spectacular way, both the US and Britain will have no trouble in selling further military interventions in North Africa, even if it was those initial interventions in Iraq and later in Libya, which paved the way for ISIS' criminal enterprise.

During a meeting with British Premier David Cameron, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al Sisi warned against Western intervention in Libya.

Despite his apparent willingness to work with Western capitals, even Sisi recognises that US troops on Arab ground usually make bad situations far worse.

In an uncharacteristically candid remark to Cameron, Sisi explained why adding fuel to a raging fire was never a good idea, especially when the flames risk engulfing the rest of the region while both London and Washington will remain sheltered from its consequences.

At a time when the British government is approving major cuts to its welfare system, public opinion is wary of more costly foreign operations. However, the spectre of having an ISIS 'Caliphate' - however insignificant - so close to European shores would give Cameron the much-needed boost he needs in parliament should he put the motion to go into Libya to a vote.

In the US, Obama is in the last leg of his second and therefore final term in office. He is already more focused on his legacy than any short term plans for war. Thus, in order to get support for further intervention the casus belli would have to be substantial.

As Libya continues to sink ever deeper into lawlessness, Tunisia appears to be ISIS' next short term plan. Having considerably affected its vital tourism sector in the last year alone, forcing scores of young Tunisians into unemployment, the network will have to strike again and in a formidable way in order to indicate the Maghreb is its next treasured outpost.

Meanwhile, as war loving leaders and their lucrative partners in the military industrial complex continue to look for ways to justify further Arab interventions, no doubt ISIS - which has so far worked almost in tandem with those leaders -  will provide the much needed impetus for US troops on African ground.

In that respect, ISIS has never failed to disappoint.

https://www.rt.com/op-edge/336426-isis-plans-caliphate-libya/

[galdur]

ISIS, oil & Turkey: RT films trove of jihadist docs detailing illegal trade with Ankara (EXCLUSIVE)

Published time: 24 Mar, 2016 03:00
Edited time: 24 Mar, 2016 05:12

https://www.rt.com/news/336967-isis-files-oil-turkey-exclusive/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

An RT Documentary crew filming in northern Syria has seen Islamic State (IS, ISIS/ISIL) documents abandoned by retreating terrorists and found by the Kurds that, along with captured IS recruits, provide a stunning insight into the alleged Turkey-IS oil trade links.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Syrian war, IS became a game-changer in Iraq and, in particular, Syria. Beheadings on camera, mass killings, and enslavement, as well as apparent connections to the Paris and Brussels attacks had become synonymous with the terror group, giving it wide publicity.

Running a viable militant organization with such remarkable capabilities would be impossible without some logistical and financial support from the outside.

Turkey, which has been actively engaged in the Syrian war since the outset, has repeatedly denied claims that it is aiding IS. However, while Ankara insists that it is the jihadist group’s sworn enemy, facts on the ground often tell a different story.

RT has spoken to several witnesses who were involved in Islamic State’s trade activities and accessed the terror group’s documents, which provide insight into how and where foreign militants enter Syria to join the terrorist “state.”

Detailed oil invoices
The RT Documentary team did most of its filming in the town of Shaddadi, located in the Syrian province Hasakah, which has been partly overrun by IS jihadists. Following the liberation of Shaddadi, which is home to some 10,000 people, RT filmed Kurdish soldiers walking around what used to be the homes of IS fighters and examining piles documents that had been left behind.

Some of the files seized at the scene turned out to be detailed invoices used by IS to calculate daily revenues from their oil fields and refineries, as well as the amount of oil extracted there. All the documents had Islamic State’s symbol at the top.

The files showed that “IS has kept very professional records of their oil business,” said the author of the new RT Documentary on Islamic State filmed in northern Syria, who chose to remain anonymous for security reasons.

Every invoice included the name of the driver, the vehicle type driven, and the weight of the truck, both full and empty, as well as the agreed upon price and invoice number.

One of the discovered invoices dated 11 January, 2016, says that IS had extracted some 1,925 barrels of oil from Kabibah oil field and sold it for $38,342.

IS oil goes to Turkey – IS fighters come via Turkey
RT spoke to local residents who had been forced to work in the IS oil industry about what it was like working at the terrorist-controlled oil refinery and where the extracted oil was sold.

The locals attested that “the extracted oil was delivered to an oil refinery, where it was converted into gasoline, gas and other petroleum products. Then the refined product was sold,” the RT documentary’s author said. “Then intermediaries from Raqqa and Allepo arrived to pick up the oil and often mentioned Turkey.”

Important information revealing the connection between IS and Turkey was provided by a Turkish militant previously captured by the Kurds. The IS recruit said on camera that the terrorist group does, in fact, sell oil to Turkey.

“Without even us asking the fighter directly, he admitted that the reason why it was so easy for him to cross the Turkish border and join IS was, in part, due to the fact that Turkey also benefited. When asked how, he said that Turkey gets something out of it – something such as oil.”

RT was also able to speak with a Kurdish soldier in the area, who displayed a collection of passports he had gathered from the dead bodies of IS fighters. The documentary crew’s exclusive footage shows the documents of several jihadists who had come from all over the world, including countries such as Bahrain, Libya, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tunisia, and Turkey.

Most of these foreign fighters seemed to have come via Turkey, as all of their passports contained entry stamps issued at Turkish border checkpoints.

A YPG member also provided some photos that were retrieved from a USB drive allegedly belonging to future IS militants. One photo showed three men standing in front of the Obelisk of Theodosius, known today as Sultanahmet Meydani, a famous landmark in Istanbul. The next photo showed the three among other fellow militants somewhere in Syria – all armed and equipped.

One of the IS fighters that RT interviewed revealed that there had been no border guards waiting for them when they crossed from Turkey into Syria.

Islamist propaganda printed in Istanbul
Turkey’s logistical support for extremist fighters trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, or at least its non-interference with their cross-border movements, has been widely reported, but little has been said about the ideological support coming from Turkish soil.

Among the documents left behind by the terrorists at an IS-run hospital, RT’s crew discovered an Islamist propaganda leaflet printed in Arabic titled “How to wage a perfect battle against the criminal Assad’s regime,” which described ways to combat the Syrian government.

Curiously, the brochure was printed in Turkey, with the cover openly displaying the postal address and phone number of an Istanbul printing house, supplemented by Facebook contacts.

“Many of the people spoke about the connection with Turkey. Turkey is the direct neighbor of IS. If it was willing to close the ‘connection’ between Turkey and IS, the terrorist organization could no longer survive,” the author of the RT documentary said, recalling interviews with Kurds and captured IS recruits. “If IS would stop receiving weapons, new recruits, food, and other help from Turkey, then IS would lose a big sponsor.”

Turkey benefits from Islamic State because the terrorist group provides it with cheap oil and is fighting both Syria’s government and Kurdish population. This is an opinion shared by both Kurds and their mortal enemies from the jihadist organization. The IS documents obtained by RT may provide additional evidence revealing the dirty game being played by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Syria.

[magnific61]

Isis attacked Mousul and captured all those weapons and wehicles with billions dollars in banks. Iraqi's couldn't defend their homeland against them and retrated without shooting even one bullet. And you expect  us to believe this?
USAF drops logistical aid to enemies of Isis bu unfortunately they dropped them to Isis. It was by mistake guys!
Whoever if doesn't understand that US founded and supported Isis, should be a big moron.

[galdur]

Isis attacked Mousul and captured all those weapons and wehicles with billions dollars in banks. Iraqi's couldn't defend their homeland against them and retrated without shooting even one bullet. And you expect  us to believe this?
USAF drops logistical aid to enemies of Isis bu unfortunately they dropped them to Isis. It was by mistake guys!
Whoever if doesn't understand that US founded and supported Isis, should be a big moron.

It certainly seems fishy. The U.S. dropped over 20 thousand bombs on ISIS for a year with no meaningful results, except for bomb makers and their stock prices of course. It´s all murky to say the last and now those terrorists strike next door to the headquarters of freakin NATO and the European Union in Brussels !