Assad & ISIL.

This is coolbert:

ISIL now advancing in Syria as well. That newly captured military hardware I assume being put to good use. Assad has nearly defeated the Free Syrian Army [FSA] but now faces a much more difficult opponent.

"Assessing the State of the Syrian Army as ISIS Advances"

"ISIS has gone to war with the Islamic Front in the Ghouta area and has been squeezed out of Ghouta, and is now trying to open a new front in Qalamoun, the range of mountains near Lebanon that the Syrian army just took back."

"this month ISIS took the Shaar gas field and killed well over 100 Syrian soldiers. Others have [since] disappeared. Then ISIS has been taking villages around Aleppo. So even as the army threatens to take Aleppo and is besieging parts of the city, ISIS is threatening to come back and fight them again there."

"Then ISIS is surrounding air bases and military bases in Deir Ezzor and other strongholds. So overall, the regime has been very badly mauled by ISIS. And it's not something they were prepared for or expecting."

To be honest, even two months ago NO ONE even was aware of the existence of ISIL. NOW they are front page news and the topic of discussion. Where others have failed, ISIL has succeeded and done so with panache'!

Assad and his followers almost exclusively Alawites. Nominal Shia and detested by the Sunni ISIL. ISIL combatants do have a maniacal fervor about them.

coolbert.