US-led airstrikes continued to pound the Islamic State (IS, formally ISIS) positions in Iraq and Syria over the weekend, with Apache helicopters joining the fight for the first time. In related news, The Sunday Times (UK) reported over the weekend that IS is preparing to invade Iran to, among other things, gain access to the Islamic Republic’s renegade nuclear program. Citing intelligence recently seized from the home of a senior IS operative, the report adds that IS has plans to trade access to gas and oil fields in Iraq under its control to Russia for access to nuclear technology. Meanwhile, a steady stream of statements denouncing IS from senior Moslem authorities have so far had little impact on the group’s growing popularity in the Moslem world. Read More
