Who created ISIS? Plus: Did an Israeli colonel join ISIS? (Important update!)

Cute video. Of course, there is a lot more to be said on this topic. Putin says some of it here:



Like him or hate him, Putin makes some unassailable points here. ISIS now controls all of the Syrian oil fields, and they use the oil to fund their operations. Who buys that oil? America has never sought sanctions against the purchasers of ISIS-brand oil.

Related: This story seems difficult to believe at first glance -- but if it is true, we have to ask: Why was an Israeli Colonel captured fighting with ISIS?

Noting that he was arrested along with a number of ISIL terrorists, the commander said, “The Israeli colonel’s name is Yusi Oulen Shahak and is ranked colonel in Golani Brigade of the Zionist regime’s army with the security and military code of Re34356578765az231434.”

The Iraqi security forces said the captured colonel has already made shocking confessions.

Several ISIL militants arrested in the last one year had already confessed that Israeli agents from Mossad and other Israeli espionage and intelligence bodies were present in the first wave of ISIL attacks on Iraq and capture of Mosul in Summer 2014, but no ranking Israeli agent had been arrested.

The ultimate source for this story appears to be the Iranian news agency FARS, so we must proceed with caution. I have highlighted this claim in the hope that someone out there can either confirm it or discredit it. (See the second UPDATE below.)

Also related: Here's Jimmy Carter on the current state of American politics:

Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president. And the same thing applies to governors and U.S. senators and congress members. So now we’ve just seen a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect and sometimes get favors for themselves after the election’s over. ...The incumbents, Democrats and Republicans, look upon this unlimited money as a great benefit to themselves. Somebody’s who’s already in Congress has a lot more to sell to an avid contributor than somebody who’s just a challenger.

Update: Trying to research the issue of ISIS oil can be maddening. Some sources say that ISIS makes more than a million dollars a day from oil sales. Other sources will tell you that ISIS makes hardly any money from oil.

Update 2: The story about Yusi Oulen Shahak may be a hoax.

Some websites carrying the tale are illustrated with a picture of a smiling young IDF soldier, allegedly Shahak. This photo aroused my suspicions (he sure as hell doesn't look like a captive), so I did a reverse Google Images search. The photo actually depicts a soldier named Oron Shaul, one of the very few IDF soldiers killed during the destruction of Gaza. Also see here.

On the other hand: I've seen no evidence that the Shaul/"Shahak" image appeared in any official news stories produced by either Fars or the Iraqis. So it remains possible that the original story is valid, but a misleading photo somehow became attached to the text. (Near as I can tell, the photo switch seems to have been the idea of these obnoxious idiots.)