Posted on 09/10/2014 6:23:39 AM PDT by marshmallow
Moscow, September 10, Interfax - ISIS militants control about 40% of Iraq and 30% of Syria and affiliated structures are seizing lands from Somalia and Sudan to Nigeria and inner districts of Sahara, Institute for Middle East Studies President Yevgeny Satanovsky said.
"ISIS is not just a radicalized organization, it is also rich. It controls oil fields and gains $2 million daily from oil contraband. It makes tens of millions of dollars in abducting foreigners for ransom. It robs banks and plants on seized territories; it is also involved in trafficking in human beings and sells women whose husbands have been killed or banished," Argumenty I Fakty cited Satanovsky as saying on Wednesday.
"This is a new, totally cruel jihad. Absolutely medieval barbarity multiplied by the power of contemporary weapons," he said. "In Mosul, Iraq alone ISIS militants have seized tens of billions of dollars-worth of weapons, everything abandoned by Obama who left Iraq to the mercy of fate. Nowadays ISIS has 80,000-100,000 fighters, and about 20,000 of them are jihadists from all over the world. The largest units come from Morocco and Yemen, there are also lots of Egyptians, Algerians and Libyans. Some 2,000 fighters have come from Russia: about 1,500 Chechens, 200 Dagestanis, there are also Ingushetians and some others," the expert said.
Besides, ISIS has several thousand fighters from the UK, France, Germany and other Western nations.
"Sadists from all over the world, from Australia to Sweden, have gone there; they want to cut off heads and commit other atrocities with impunity. They have plenty of weapons, and the area is very easy to reach, for instance, across the Turkish-Syrian border," the expert continued.
In turn, Semyon Bagdasarov, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, said ISIS was dangerous because the first-ever terrorist quasi-state had been created in the strategically important Middle East region and it possessed every power attribute - an administration, an intelligence service and an army.
"No one is controlling them and no one has been able to stop them although the forces opposing them in Iraq and Syria are eight to nine times larger! This is a proof of the highly efficient military organization of ISIS. The core of its army is former officers of Saddam Hussein, members of the so-called ISIS Military Shura led by former Iraqi Army Colonel Haji al-Bakr," he said.
Not sure how reliable Interfax is but previous estimates of ISIS was 10,000 soldiers.
100000 we killed way more enemies then that before.
The question should be do we have the will power and motivation to take care of them.
How exactly is this possible? Which countries are helping ISIS smuggle oil?
Does that include the non-uniformed enemy combatants in the White House?
Time to do some carpet bombing.
And they can get 100,000 more easily.
And more after that.
Why aren’t the countries nearest to them worried?
Why is it just Americans all in a tizzy?
Where is the slobbering media now? All the Arab Spring cheerleading they did....how about a follow up story about all the sweetness and light in the middle east right now.
The “Arab Spring” has taken much of the middle east back to the 7th century.
Where are our B52’s and B1’s?
The United States of America, and the European Union group.
Libyan and other, oil has been redirected through ISIS front traders with the assistance of the US including military.
That’s what we should do. It’s the only option I can think of.
Some of them are losing their heads over this.
...how about a follow up story about all the sweetness and light in the middle east right now.
The Neo Nazi HomoFascist US MSM? You are an optimist.
Really...I would have guessed KSA or Turkey
I don’t believe the 100,000 figure, I think closer to 25,000 is accurate. In any event, keep things in perspective, 100,000 isn’t even a capacity crown at a University of Michigan football game....
They both certainly would try to swing a deal, but the Devil in the details is transportation and which front group gets paid.
Prior to a week ago ISIS frontmen traders were approved to receive funds for oil. When unapproved rebel frontmen traders have the oil and sell it, the US seizes the oil, transport and funds, if possible, as they did Here
This Libyan oil will eventually service France as usual for Libyan oil.
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