ISIS Control

Afternoon Americans, 

With so much unrest occurring within the US these days it seems as though the situation in the middle east has sort of been swept out of the public eye. Much of this region still remains under the threat of ISIS militants and air strikes continue to make slow but sure progress against the Islamic State. 

 As many of us sit down to appreciate a lavish meal surrounded by those we love and care for, there are those across the world who live under the constant threat of death or worse at the hands of extremists professing a warped ideology that allows for the brutal slaughter and rape of countless innocents. ISIS control has been spreading rapidly throughout the Levant since early last summer with Iraqi forces being summarily pushed to the edge of control for their own sovereign territory. Recently however it would seem that ISIS progress across the middle east has slowed, despite the continued sale of oil to local buyers across the region which has made the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria the wealthiest terror group in history.

These photos illustrate some of the destruction caused by ISIS militants from September through mid October resulting from the battle for the city of Kobani. Though air strikes from multinational coalition groups have helped stem the tide of radical militants' progress throughout the region, their heavy-handed control of oil fields and major refineries in Iraq has not changed.

Several weeks ago ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported to have made statements to the effect that the US-led coalition to thwart the radicalists' advance is failing and that inevitably ground troops will have to be deployed to be sent to their "death and destruction."

This map illustrates the areas of ISIS control within Iraq and Syria, pointing out the areas in which air strikes have been most common since early August.

This video contains the most recent footage I could find regarding ISIS presence in the Middle East, and frankly it doesn't appear as if their influence is gaining any less than it has been in the recent past. So why is it not on the news anymore? Stories covering the atrocities and insanity occurring in Iraq and Syria have become less and less prevalent as other events closer to home have caught the mainstream media's attention. I would ask that you keep the people of this region in your thoughts and prayers, despite the lack of media coverage. Their fight for freedom is still raging on against a fanatical enemy that knows no compassion, mercy or kindness. Hell on Earth would seem to be apt comparison which leaves me puzzled as to why almost every headline story on the news in the past few weeks has something to do with American police brutality. If you're going to sensationalize news, at least keep it in perspective.