Comments by "peabase" (@peabase) on "How has IS raised so much money? BBC News" video.

  1. +Get Real That means bombing Assad, too.
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  2. Get Real So Assad, as a confirmed buyer of ISIS oil, should be left off the hook?
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  3. Hadi Hasan Merchant Not really. For a long time, Assad and ISIS were de facto allied against the other armed groups in Syria. ISIS also owes Assad a big thank-you for bringing their organisation about.
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  4. Hadi Hasan Merchant Oh no, don't bring up RT in a serious discussion ;-) Assad first opened his prisons to let jihadists fight in the Iraqi insurgency against the Americans. The second time he did so to justify his murderous clamp-down on the protestors, in an effort to give the impression that he was fighting Islamic militants, not a popular revolt against his authoritarian regime. No one's saying Assad acted wisely or that he has forged a long-time friendship with ISIS.
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  5. Hadi Hasan Merchant Don't expect a Pulitzer Prize if you've discovered that ISIS is multinational in composition. They have, however, many Syrians in their ranks, in leading positions even.
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  6. Hadi Hasan Merchant It's way-way more than a handful. As for ISIS leaders, check out their bios online. Many are Syrian nationals and quite a few were released by Assad as part of a 2011 amnesty. Mind you, there's no love lost between Assad and ISIS. Both are cynical and opportunistic players. Given half a chance, they would slit each other's throat.
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  7. Hadi Hasan Merchant Interesting notion. Compared to Assad, ISIS are beginners at killing Syrians. What sets them apart is that they go for media exposure, while Assad tries to avoid it. The Americans and the Iraqi government killed and captured too many Syrian insurgents to ignore. I count four Syrian ISIS top leaders, including the governor of Raqqa.
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