Why ISIL is more dangerous than al Qaeda

Aaron Gardner:

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According to a Buzzfeed report from earlier this week, ISIS controls “seven oil fields and two refineries in northern Iraq, and six out of 10 oil fields in eastern Syria.” The article goes on to note ISIS is “currently making millions daily from oil revenues.” ISIS is the richest terrorist organization in the world and has the sophistication to keep it that way. ISIS also has enough money to pay the soldiers in its ranks at a higher rate than the Iraqi military.

As I said, ISIS isn’t Al Qaeda, and we should all keep that in mind when we assume what the Islamic State is and isn’t capable of doing.

While the idea of a real chemical weapon threat, or WMD threat, is looked upon with skepticism after years in Iraq and Afghanistan at war with Al Qaeda, I must stress again that ISIS isn’t Al Qaeda. ISIS has a different infrastructure and aims. The gains made in land and treasure set ISIS apart from Al Qaeda and should give everyone pause. In an article yesterday at Foreign Policy, two authors reported on a ISIS laptop found in Syria with instructions for making a chemical weapon on it and noted that ISIS may have access to the facilities to take this next step, which long eluded Al Qaeda.
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Despite all of this, along with members of Congress, the intelligence community, and a few Generals,raising the alarm, this President and his Administration have no real strategy to address the threat of ISIS. Our aimless foreign policy, directed from the golf course by President Obama, has impacted the world. Just not in any positive fashion.
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It is difficult to understand the problem with developing a strategy to deal with this threat.  A robust air campaign using A-10's and other close air support could destroy ISIL's mobility, in captured US weapons and in their Toyota pickup trucks.   The Kurds have demonstrated the ability to be effective against them when backup by US air support.  Dust off the campaign against the Taliban where air power, special ops and the Northern alliance routed the enemy in a matter of weeks.