3 ms·
> If I've got this right, in Syria, Iran is opposed to ISIS/Daesh and Saudis are funding them? Well, I have a problem with saying "Saudis are funding them". So
by nickik 10y ago
> If I've got this right, in Syria, Iran is opposed to ISIS/Daesh and Saudis are funding them?
Well, I have a problem with saying "Saudis are funding them". Some people, even some in government are funding many different groups and maybe ISIS. The state itself does not directly fund ISIS.
ISIS today is self funded, they function more like a normal state and they are taxing people, selling of assets and more.
> While the Russians are supporting the status-quo Assad/Alawhite faction
Yes. The Russians support Assad.
> the American backed "liberation" factions have mostly died out
There never really was such a thing. Different American organisations have given support to different fraction, but it was never very much of unified front.
The US does still support the Syrian Kurds. The Kurds are usually not seen as part of the "rebel" fraction.
> (People seem to have stopped talking about AQ in the context of Syria?)
As I said in my comment, AQ is fractured. ISIS, al-Sham (Nusra) are all splinters of AQ (or spliters of splinters). AQ central can not control them and those groups fight each other as well.
I don't know if there is a "formally" affiliated AQ branch in Syria or Iraq atm, not a powerful one.
Iran is trying to defeat ISIS as well. They mostly want to have strong foot in Iraq and they want to prevent Syria from falling. This is why Hezbollah is fighting in Syria, and in Iraq there are groups like it as well.
Turkey is trying to prevent a Kurdish controlled belt from the sea along the sudden boarder because the see the PKK and YPG as the same.
- jwtadvice 10y ago> The state itself does not directly fund ISIS. The State does, through 'donations' and by laundering money through private entities. Just as it has supported the Muslim Brotherhood and other organizations that have benefitted it - it has done this 'off the record'. Don't take the lack of an announcement seriously.
- nickik 10y agoThe evidence for these things is not very good. Specially after ISIS actually established itself as a de-facto state. Its very hard to say who is pulling the strings and if its the government. I find it hard to believe given the current leadership of Saudi Arabia. ISIS has long ago transcended being on peoples pay list, they are a de-facto state with taxes and other incomes. They are most certainly not mainly funded by the Saudis or other foreign entities. The US has a major effort underway to cut of money flows and those have been effective, ISIS could not survive without a local base.
- jwtadvice 10y agoThe evidence is profoundly good and has been: admitted by several high level cabinet officials in the United States [1], documented by historiographers [2], leaked from intelligence documents [3], circled in Washington Security Thinktanks [4], and is fully consistent with Saudi objectives in the region. Don't be confused by propaganda and the fog of war. [1] Joe Biden has said it: https://youtu.be/UrXkm4FImvc?t=1h32m4s https://youtu.be/UrXkm4FImvc?t=1h32m4s [2] https://www.amazon.com/Black-Flags-Rise-Joby-Warrick/dp/0804168938 https://www.amazon.com/Black-Flags-Rise-Joby-Warrick/dp/0804... [3] http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pg.-291-Pgs.-287-293-JW-v-DOD-and-State-14-812-DOD-Release-2015-04-10-final-version11.pdf http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pg.-... [4] https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/161019_Gulf_States_Policies_on_Syria.pdf https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/1...