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May 22, 2015How Ramadi was Politically Sold: ISIL’S Next Step Maybe Baghdad
The fall of Palmyra just after
Ramadi emphasized the impression that ISIL regained the momentum, hence
will help the organization recruit more fighters. Yet, the story of the
fall of Ramadi is totally different than that of the fall of Palmyra.
The current ISIL offensives extends
from Ramadi to Dair Al Zour to Central Syria. The group’s fighters are
attacking the regime controlled airport in Dair Al Zour apparently to
clear both West Iraq and East Syria of any other forces. ISIL’s control
of Palmyra will enable the organization to have access to Eastern
Qalamoun, the Reef of Damascus and Hems. Furthermore, Palmyra was an
important point in the Iranian supply lines to the Syrian regime coming
through Iraq.
But there is also an economic
justification for this campaign. ISIL started its attack in May 13,
seizing the two gas fields of al- Hil and al- Ark, the city of Al Sikhni
and the village of al- Aamiriyyi. By controlling Al Sikhni, ISIL can
cut the regime’s supply lines to the oil and gas rich regions around
Shaer and Jezel enabling ISIL to attack them and control their lucrative
resources. Selling antiquities to black market merchants proved to
bring considerable financial gains to the organization. If not sold,
these antiquities could be destroyed for propaganda gains among
religious fanatics.
Therefore, the offensive is
profitable to ISIL in terms of adding new fighters, new resources, new
strategic location and new psychological ammunition to its propaganda
arsenal.
But the fall of Ramadi has been
different than that of Palmyra in one aspect at least. The story of
Ramadi may have been intentionally written, not by ISIL, but by its
adversaries in Baghdad. http://mebriefing.com/?p=1707&utm_source=MEB+VOL+-+II_+Issue+78+Subscribers+Campaign+of+May+24+2015&utm_campaign=VOL+II+-+Issue+78&utm_medium=email
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