Russian air strikes in Syria cut ISIL funding from oil exports!

TEHERAN, Iran (PNN) - October 30, 2015 - Middle East expert Hafsa Kara-Mustapha said three weeks of Russian air strikes have dramatically weakened the ISIL's capacity to raise the funds necessary for its terror operations, in contrast to the Fascist Police States of Amerika-led air campaign over the past year. FPSA-led air strikes on the ISIL in Iraq and Syria were ineffective and even allowed the organization to continue to spread its influence, using oil money to finance its expansion into Syria, said Kara-Mustapha.

In Iraq, the ISIL was able to capitalize on the state infrastructure for oil production that was abandoned as a result of the invasion of the country in 2003, the spoils of which it used to finance more equipment and fighters.

"It's free oil for them so they're selling it at whatever price is convenient for them, and of course any price, any money that is generated is basically free money," since the oil sales are carried out in the unregulated black market, the expert explained.

"They are basically running a mini oil industry thanks to very unscrupulous middlemen, who are benefiting from cheap oil and all this volatility in which they're buying very cheap oil, reselling at sky-high prices, making a profit and at the same time encouraging the terrorist organization to flourish."

Cutting the sources of the ISIL wealth is crucial to bringing peace to the region, said Kara-Mustapha, since then the organization will not be able to fund the equipment or soldiers needed to fight.

"In essence if you remove the funds, you are actually cutting off, slowly but surely, all the limbs of the ISIL. Perhaps not the head, and it’s a slow process, but you are considerably weakening it."