The Islamic State to Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terror militia continued to take territory in northern Iraq on Wednesday even as its forces in Syria surrounded the city of Deir Al Zour, threatening to capture near total control of Syria’s oil wealth and hundreds of thousands of terrified civilians. Their offensive has been met with fierce but so far ineffectual resistance from other Islamic factions in Syria, while forces loyal to the regime of president Bashar Assad have largely stayed out of the fight, possibly waiting to strike whichever side survives the current battles. However, the ISIL offensive in Iraq has included the capture of hundreds of armored vehicles and other heavy weapons, along with vast stocks of ammunition and other equipment, supplied to the Iraqi national army and police by the US in recent years. Read More
