Paraskinio – Apr. 8, 2017, issue 573, p. 59

The creation of ISIS

With the launch of the 2003 US war against Iraq backed by a number of European countries, aimed at overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s regime, the situation on Iraqi soil began to escape control. Saddam Hussein’s mandates before the US invasion to arm Iraqi civilians paved the way for militias to resist US presence in Iraq. Meanwhile, the Assad regime was afraid that after this US move, the next step was the invasion of Syria, as the US government was stating.

Bashar al-Assad has assigned General Assef Shawkat, head of the Syrian Military Intelligence Division, the task of communicating with Iraqi militias who resisted the US presence in the country. They opened the Syrian border with Iraq, while a large media campaign was organized that encouraged young people to fight by the side of Iraqi militias. At the same time, a religious leader from Halab*, Abu Qa’qa, later revealed to be an agent of Syrian secret services, had the most active role in recruiting young Syrians.

The various Iraqi militias have created a fertile environment for al-Qaeda which used them as its own kernels in the country. As long as the security for Iraq and the Americans was falling down, Assad increased his support for al-Qaeda by supplying armaments and allowing aspiring fighters from all over the world to freely cross Syria to join the organization. Thus, al-Qaeda has strengthened so much to reach controlling a large portion of Iraq’s west. The Assad regime has made a decisive contribution to this. Recent CIA reports have also revealed Iran’s financial support to al-Qaeda, as it was involved in the laundering of the organization’s money and facilitated its entry into Iraq.

This communication between al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Assad regime gave him the opportunity to embed a large number of agents in the organization, including Ibrahim al-Badri, now known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. Baghdadi was in Syria, specifically in the Sayeda Zeinab district south of Damascus, until 2006. Information indicates that, before returning to Iraq, he met in Zabadani, West of Damascus, with Abu Qa’qa in the presence of a member of the Syrian intelligence and CIA agents.

The US, due to the great human losses in Iraq, had no choice but to seek support from the Assad regime to stop the bloodshed of US soldiers. In return they revised their plan to hit Assad after Saddam Hussein. Thus, the US forces, in 2007 and 2008, managed to limit the power of the organization, with the support of the Assad regime and its agents in Iraq. In addition, many Al-Qaeda leaders were murdered, including Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, based on the information provided by the Assad regime.

Assad’s agents

Over time, Assad’s agents have climbed the hierarchy of the organization, taking leadership positions and becoming the creators of the formation, later named the Islamic State of Iraq and in 2014 the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham-ISIS. It is noteworthy that Al-Qaeda’s leadership in Afghanistan did not agree with this formation, and announced that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or any of the senior leaders are unknown to it and denied the organization.

The relationship between the Assad regime and ISIS was demonstrated by the overwhelming evidence that the Iraqi government submitted to the United Nations in 2008 for the country-wide bombings, which ISIS was responsible for. Naturally, this report did not find open ears in the international community and the US government, which knew in advance what was happening.

At the beginning of 2014, the first spark of the spread of ISIS in Iraq and Syria lit. The first area placed under its control was Mosul. However, the way this was done raises questions. The estimated number of combatants in the organization did not exceed 600 when the Iraqi army’s forces were over 10,000. However, leaks later confirmed that there had been orders from the Iraqi leadership to the heads of units to leave the city quickly, which led to its fall within a few hours. After that, ISIS began to impose more on western Iraq and to penetrate eastern Syria, from where it spread to the north of the country. The huge amount of weapons of the organization was a great surprise. But many of the Assad regime’s military bases fell within a few hours or days and abandoned without resistance, leaving the arms as a gift. This is the explanation for the origin of weapons. Thus, ISIS has controlled almost 25% of Iraq and 50% of Syria.

Why Assad had an interest in importing ISIS to the east of Syria

In 2013-2014 Assad controlled less than 25% of the Syrian soil and his military status was unfavorable. The international community as a whole supported the Syrian rebels against the Syrian regime. The only way to gain international support again was to introduce a more dangerous threat to Syria. Indeed, all the attention of the international community has turned to the fight against ISIS. Some countries even allied with him in this struggle, despite the fact that before they called him dictator and criminal.

The battles of the last six months, especially that of Halab, have confirmed the direct or indirect link between the regime and ISIS in Syria. The opposition forces in the “Euphrates Shield” took more than three months to occupy the city of Al-Bab from ISIS when the organization handed over large land – about 2000km2 in the province of Halab, without shooting a bullet.

Economic sources of ISIS

ISIS has earned at least a billion dollars through the control of the Central Bank in Mosul. Following the occupation of territories in Iraq and Syria, it gained control of many oil fields which were its main source of revenue despite the imposed international sanctions. Nevertheless, many from those involved in the conflict,  Assad on top of them, who made one deal after another. The most important element leaked was the supply of the Assad regime with crude oil and gas in exchange for huge sums of money or military equipment. Official reports revealed in early 2016 that Russian-Syrian businessman George Hassouani, the owner of the Hesco gas company, was involved in oil and gas agreements with ISIS on behalf of Assad. Hassouani also has close ties with high economic and political circles in Russia, making him the most suitable “man of oil” for Russia in Syria.

The struggle against the terrorist organization and the formation of the international coalition for the fight against terrorism

In the summer of 2014, former US President Barack Obama announced that he would launch US Air Force raids against the terrorist organization ISIS. He also announced the creation of the International Coalition for the Fight against Daesh, which included almost 62 countries. Soon, the coalition began choosing its allies on the ground, both in Syria and Iraq to counter the organization. However, the choices are surprising. In Iraq, the Shiite terrorist organization Al-Hashd Al-Sha’abi (People’s Mobilization Force) was created with the support of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC). Although its existence is a clear indication of the expansion of Iranian influence in the region, the US and the coalition of countries have forgotten it and given it unlimited support in the fight against ISIS. Al-Hashd Al-Sha’abi, during the war, has also committed worse crimes than ISIS. Formal reports from Iraq confirm that it is responsible for the murder of thousands of Iraqi civilians from Ramadhi to Fallujah. In Mosul, ISIS has killed 1,500 civilians in two years, while the international coalition and the particular militia have killed at least 4,000 civilians over the past six months. Al-Hashd Al-Sha’abi is responsible for the disappearance of tens of thousands of Iraqi Sunni civilians in the western part of the country. And here is the big hypocrisy: if terrorism comes from Shiites it is allowed, while from Sunni is dangerous?

In Syria, the US government has avoided its promises to the Syrian opposition for its support with weapons and air cover under the guise of fear of complications. However, it chose to support the Kurdish militias in the northern part of Syria, knowing they are a branch of the PKK which is included in the list of terrorist organizations. That is, the US-led International Anti-Terrorism Coalition has systematically used a terrorist organization to fight another!

Epilogue

In conclusion, following the above-mentioned details about ISIS that terrifies the world with its terrorist operations, the picture of anyone who can think outside of the box clears up. What is happening is the redesign of the Middle East map, paving the way for the so-called “New Middle East” through the division and creation of religious cantons that will be easy to control. The term “New Middle East” was not born today. It has been reported by a number of officials at the beginning of the second millennium led by former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.

* I always use the original name of Aleppo, which is Halab. An ancient city like Halab should not be renamed according to western languages. Ancient Hellenes (Greeks) called it Halyvon which derives from the Hellenic word for steel (halyvas) and probably originates from the ancient Amorite word halab (also meaning steel). Even in modern Hellenic (Greek) language, it is called Halepi. Forging history is a common practice of the West, and we all experience it. As a Hellene, I do not intend to be part of it.