© AFP 2015/ Bay Ismoyo
As most people have already learned recently, ISIL has been selling stolen oil to Turkey and the US to be able to finance its criminal activities. The US military chose to turn a blind eye to this illegal business, moreover, it took a step too far by actually protecting the oil infrastructure created by the Islamists.
For a long 14 months they have virtually done nothing to put an end to oil smuggling in Syria and Iraq, which allowed the Islamic State to reap millions of dollars in profits. The White House said that they chose not to attack the illegal oil infrastructure "due to the high risks of environmental disaster."
These revelations have been published a few days ago by the
Washington Times, which mocks Washington's official statement that was given in response to the remarks made by the Russian Defense Ministry, that allowing terrorists to sell oil freely is a direct violation of a number of UN Security Council resolutions.
In turn, Russia's warplanes have been inflicting serious damage on ISIL in Syria over the last two months, effectively undermining the source of its funding. This step has put Washington in a peculiar position, forcing it to start destroying oil facilities and vehicles run by the Islamic State in Iraq in a desperate attempt to avoid an imminent PR disaster.
Under these conditions, while suffering huge human and financial losses due to the combined assault of Russia's aircraft and Syrian regular troops, the
Islamic State is now forced to turn its attention to other Muslim states, seeking any means to get the cash flowing back in. That is why in November the leaders of ISIL began urgently planning "active expansion" in Libya, a nation rich in hydrocarbons, as well as in Afghanistan.
Although Afghanistan has no oil or gas reserves worth mentioning, ISIL still could use it as a means to replenish its rapidly vanishing financial wealth, since there are still many opportunities there through
criminal activities to make significant fortunes.
Comment: Well, thank the stars that there is a sane and morally strong world-leader who is able and willing to act in favor of humanity. Putin is not only working to revive Russia to a normal, healthy state, but he is also working to establish a human influence on the world stage.