Theseus

Mosul Raqqa Aleppo IRAQ SYRIA ISIS control June 27 Damascus Baghdad ISIS Has Lost Many of the Key Places It Once Controlled By SARAH ALMUKHTAR, TIM WALLACE and DEREK WATKINS UPDATED July 3, 2016 IRAQSYRIA The Islamic State was able to carve out a sprawling territory across Iraq and Syria through military dominance over 126 key places. But the group’s momentum has slowed over the past year, and it has lost its hold on nearly half of those locations. As the militant group has been squeezed in Iraq and Syria, there are signs that it has been shifting its focus from controlling territory to executing terror attacks in Iraq and abroad. Out of 10 Cities, the Islamic State Remains in Five The group has been forced out of about 56 places where it once had control, including five major cities, since it made rapid advances across the two countries in 2014. Three miles Abu Ghraib LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2016 Half mile LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2016 Baquba LOST BY ISIS IN SEPTEMBER 2014 Half mile LOST BY ISIS IN SEPTEMBER 2014 Deir al-Zour CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 Half mile Falluja LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2016 Half mile LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2016 Manbij CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Half mile Mosul CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Half mile Ramadi LOST BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2016 Half mile LOST BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2016 Raqqa CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2014 Half mile Tikrit LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2015 Half mile LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2015 Tal Afar CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Half mile In June 2014, the Islamic State stunned the world when it seized Mosul, by far the largest city it controls, from Iraqi soldiers who dropped their weapons and fled. But the group’s momentum has shifted. “The caliphate has been crumbling at the edges,” said Columb Strack, a senior analyst at IHS Conflict Monitor, an organization that has been tracking which cities and towns make up the militant group’s territory. Iraqi security forces regained control of Ramadi in January after months of battling Islamic State fighters there. Many homes in the city were destroyed or rigged with explosives during the fighting, and most residents have yet to return. The Syrian government is fighting to remove the Islamic State from parts of Deir al-Zour. If the government succeeds, the militants will lose a crucial connection between their strongholds in Raqqa and Mosul, making it more difficult for them to move quickly to defend territory, Mr. Strack said. The Militants Capture Infrastructure and Resources to Generate Revenue As they seized cities, Islamic State militants also captured valuable resources like oil fields and hydroelectric dams, which have helped them generate income. The group’s oil and gas revenue is down 26 percent since last year but still adds up to about $23 million a month, according to IHS. Half mile Akashat Phosphate Mine LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2016 Baath Dam CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2014 500 feet Alas Oil Field LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 Mosul Dam LOST BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 Deiro Oil Field CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Tanak Oil Field CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet Shula Oil Field CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Omar Oil Field CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet Al Ward Oil Field CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet Baiji Refinery LOST BY ISIS IN OCTOBER 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN OCTOBER 2015 Al Badia Cement Plant LOST BY ISIS IN APRIL 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN APRIL 2016 Ajeel Oil Field LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 Furat Dam CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2014 500 feet Kabiba Oil Field LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2016 Al Taim Oil Field CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Qayara Oil Field CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Shaer Gas Field CAPTURED BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2014 500 feet T1 Pumping Station CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet T2 Pumping Station CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet T3 Pumping Station CAPTURED BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 500 feet Tishreen Dam LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 The Islamic State’s three largest oil fields — Omar, Tanak and Al Taim— are all in Syria and together produce an estimated 13,500 barrels of oil per day. The militants captured Mosul Dam in August 2014. American officials had expressed fears that the militants might intentionally damage the structure, flooding several cities and endangering more than a million people. But Iraqi and Kurdish forces retook the dam after two weeks. The Group Has Maintained a Nearly Continuous Hold Along the Euphrates River NORTH Rawah Deir al-Zour Hit LOST LOST Al-Baghdadi LOST Mayadin Asiriyah Tabqa Al-Qaim Baghdad IRAQ SYRIA 25 MI The Islamic State has contested or controlled many towns along the Euphrates River since as early as January 2014, giving them access to important roads and infrastructure that connect their territory across Syria and Iraq. The town of Mayadin, which in 2004 had a population of about 44,000, is important to the Islamic State as an uncontested administrative center that is close to one of its major oil fields. Half mile Ayyash CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2016 500 feet Asiriya LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2016 Ashara CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet Maadan CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Kasra CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Maskana CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2014 500 feet Saqra CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet One mile Rawa CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Quarter mile Hit LOST BY ISIS IN APRIL 2016 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN APRIL 2016 Abu Kamal CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Quarter mile Karama CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Quarter mile Tabqa CAPTURED BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 Quarter mile Baghdadi LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2015 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2015 Mayadin CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 Quarter mile Qaim CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Quarter mile The Islamic State Is Fighting to Keep a Key Corridor to Turkey 10 MI Kobane LOST TURKEY Qamishli Tal Abyad LOST Tal Khanzir LOST Jarabulus Ghabsha LOST Kafr Ghan Tel Hamees LOST Al-Ra'i Izaz Sarrin LOST Suluk LOST Mabrouka LOST Dabiq Manbij Harbul Hasakah Al-Bab Ayn Issa LOST SYRIA Aleppo After losing a monthslong battle with Kurdish forces for control of Kobani, a key Syrian town on the border with Turkey, the Islamic State was quickly pushed out of a large stretch of northern Syria. Now, the Islamic State is fighting to hold onto a strategic corridor at the Turkish border that allows their people and goods to move between the two countries. Half mile Dabiq CAPTURED BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 500 feet Al Ra'i CAPTURED BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2014 500 feet Harbul CAPTURED BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2015 500 feet Ghabsha LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 Ayn Issa LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2015 Kafr Ghan CAPTURED BY ISIS IN APRIL 2016 500 feet Mabrouka LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 Suluk LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2015 Tal Abyad LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2015 Tal Khanzir LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 Tel Hamees LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2015 One mile Jarabulus CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2014 Quarter mile Al Bab CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Quarter mile Kobani LOST BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2015 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2015 Sarrin LOST BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2015 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2015 The Militants Often Capture Weapons Along With Military Bases Many of the weapons used by Islamic State fighters have come from military facilities that the group has seized from the Iraqi and Syrian governments. In January, the Islamic State had its largest weapons windfall when it took control of the Ayyash Arms Depot in Syria, capturing an estimated two million rounds of ammunition, 9,000 grenades and 100 antitank missiles. But the group has not always taken full advantage of military seizures. Despite capturing a number of air bases, there is no evidence that they have flown any planes. Half mile Al Muthanna Chemical Weapons Facility LOST BY ISIS IN OCTOBER 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN OCTOBER 2014 Ayyash Arms Depot CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2016 500 feet Abu Allaj Checkpoint LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2016 121st Regiment Artillery Base LOST BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2015 17th Division Army Base CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet Kilo 160 Checkpoint LOST BY ISIS IN APRIL 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN APRIL 2015 Camp Ashraf LOST BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 Durayhib Military Base CAPTURED BY ISIS IN 2014 500 feet Kisik Military Base LOST BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN JANUARY 2015 Kweiris Air Base LOST BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2015 Mheen Arms Depot LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 Samarra East Air Base LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 Tabqa Air Base CAPTURED BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 500 feet Tal Dakwa Outpost CAPTURED BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2015 500 feet Tallat Na'imat CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2015 500 feet Waleed Border Crossing CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Territorial Losses Mean that the Islamic State Is Making Less Money The Islamic State has lost about 45 percent of its territory in Syria and 20 percent in Iraq since the peak of its control in August 2014, according to estimates by American officials. With every town and village that is lost, the group also loses income that comes from taxes and fines. After years of conflict, there are no current population figures for these places. But based on preconflict census data and government estimates, the places that the group has contested or controlled once had a combined population of at least 3.7 million people. Half mile Soha CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Hajar Aswad CAPTURED BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2013 500 feet Suleiman Beg LOST BY ISIS IN SEPTEMBER 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN SEPTEMBER 2014 Kabajib CAPTURED BY ISIS IN APRIL 2014 500 feet Deir Foul LOST BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 Al Wafaa LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 Bashiqa CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Dakila CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Hardana CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Hatra CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Hawija CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Karma LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2016 Makhmur LOST BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN AUGUST 2014 Nimrud CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Bir Qasab CAPTURED BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 500 feet Filastin LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2015 Al Hawl LOST BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2015 Kubaysa LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2016 Gohbal LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 Tall Kayf CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Thawra CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Jalawla LOST BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2014 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN NOVEMBER 2014 Ain al Fars CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet Dayr Hafir CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 500 feet Shajarah CAPTURED BY ISIS IN MARCH 2015 500 feet Mheen LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 Markada CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Mahsa CAPTURED BY ISIS IN APRIL 2015 500 feet Shadadi LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN FEBRUARY 2016 Umm al-Tababir LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN JUNE 2015 Shoula CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Qariyatayn LOST BY ISIS IN APRIL 2016 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN APRIL 2016 Ruhoum CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Al Qasr CAPTURED BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 500 feet Sukhna CAPTURED BY ISIS IN MAY 2015 500 feet Suwar CAPTURED BY ISIS IN APRIL 2014 500 feet Tal Aswad LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 500 feet LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 Siwana CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 500 feet Hawsh Hamad CAPTURED BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 500 feet One mile Baaj CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Quarter mile Al-Safira LOST BY ISIS IN OCTOBER 2015 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN OCTOBER 2015 Miqdadiya LOST BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN JULY 2014 Qayrawan CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JULY 2015 Quarter mile Rutba LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2016 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN MAY 2016 Palmyra LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2016 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN MARCH 2016 Shirqat CAPTURED BY ISIS IN JUNE 2014 Quarter mile Sinjar LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2015 Hasaka (Southern Districts) LOST BY ISIS IN JULY 2015 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN JULY 2015 Snuny LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 Quarter mile LOST BY ISIS IN DECEMBER 2014 Sources: IHS Conflict Monitor (places and control); satellite images by DigitalGlobe and CNES/Distribution Airbus DS via Google and Bing Additional work by Jeremy White. Correction: June 28, 2016 An earlier version of this interactive graphic included an outdated reference to Tishreen Dam. The Islamic State lost control of the dam in December 2015.

Description : Map showing the current ISIS Controlled Areas In Iraq.

Islamic State and the crisis in Iraq and Syria in maps 20 January 2017 From the sectionMiddle East Related Topics Syrian civil war Share INTERACTIVESee how the area IS controls changed in 2016 December 2016 January 2016 The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has lost almost a quarter of the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria over the past year, according to new analysis. IS militants were in control of about 60,400 sq km (23,300 sq miles) in December 2016, compared with about 78,000 square km (30,100 sq miles) at the start of the year, the report by IHS Conflict Monitor says. This compares to a loss of about 14% over 2015. IS came to the world's attention in June 2014, when it overran Iraq's second city of Mosul and then moved southwards towards the capital Baghdad, routing the Iraqi army and threatening to eradicate the country's many ethnic and religious minorities. At its peak, some 10 million people were living in territory under IS control. However, a report by IHS Conflict Monitor in October 2016 suggested the figure was nearer six million. The current focus of the battle against IS has been for control of Mosul, the jihadist group's last major urban stronghold in Iraq. Iraqi special forces and army units have made steady progress in the eastern half of the city, while advances to the west by Shia-dominated paramilitary fighters are preventing IS from resupplying its forces. Columb Strack, senior analyst with IHS Conflict Monitor, said: "We expect Iraqi government forces to recapture Mosul before the second half of the year". "After Mosul, the Iraqi government will probably focus its attention on the remaining pocket of resistance around Hawija, which the jihadists are using as a base for their campaign of sustained terrorist attacks in Baghdad." How did IS spread across Iraq and Syria? The jihadists exploited the chaos and divisions within both Syria and Iraq. IS grew out of what was al-Qaeda in Iraq, which was formed by Sunni militants after the US-led invasion in 2003 and became a major force in the country's sectarian insurgency. In 2011, the group joined the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, where it found a safe haven and easy access to weapons. At the same time, it took advantage of the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, as well as widespread Sunni anger at the sectarian policies of the country's Shia-led government. In 2013, the group began seizing control of territory in Syria and changed its name to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis or Isil). The following year, Isis overran large swathes of northern and western Iraq, proclaimed the creation of a "caliphate", and became "Islamic State". An advance into areas controlled by Iraq's Kurdish minority, and the killing or enslaving of thousands of members of the Yazidi religious group, prompted a US-led multinational coalition to launch air strikes on IS positions in Iraq in August 2014. Exact numbers of casualties from the conflict with IS are not available. The UN says at least 6,878 civilians were killed in acts of violence in Iraq in 2016 - although the true figure is likely to be higher as the organisation has been unable to verify some reports of casualties in the Mosul area. The total number of civilian deaths in Iraq since August 2014 is now more than 19,700. The UN no longer keeps track of casualty figures in Syria due to the inaccessibility of many areas and the conflicting reports from the various parties to the war there. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported in September 2016 that more than 300,000 people, including 86,000 civilians, had been killed since March 2011. It warned that the actual death toll could be 70,000 higher as many armed groups did not report fatalities. Who is fighting IS? The US-led coalition has conducted more than 10,000 air strikes against IS targets in Iraq since August 2014. The UK launched its first air strikes on the group in Iraq the following month. Other nations taking part include Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Jordan, and the Netherlands. In Syria, the US-led air campaign began in September 2014. Since then, about 6,000 strikes have been carried out by coalition forces, which include Australia, Bahrain, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the UK. Russia is not part of the coalition, but its jets began air strikes against what it called "terrorists" in Syria in September 2015. There is little information from official sources about the Russian air strikes. However, the Institute for the Study of War says evidence suggests Russian planes have targeted deep into opposition-held territory, and helped Syrian government forces to retake control of the city of Aleppo in December 2016. Since then, Russia has continued to bomb Syrian opposition forces, as well as IS fighters around Palmyra - although ISW says this was in order to defend a nearby airbase, which is the Russian's main base of operations in central Syria. Where key countries stand What is Russia's endgame in Syria? Other countries targeted by IS With the proclamation of a caliphate at the end of June 2014, IS signalled its intention to spread beyond Iraq and Syria. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi quickly received oaths of the allegiance from jihadist militants in Libya, and within a year affiliates held territory in five countries and had footholds in several more. IS is now believed to be operational in 18 countries across the world, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to evidence seen by the US National Counterterrorism Center. It also found signs of what it called "aspiring branches" in Mali, Egypt, Somalia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines. During 2016, IS also claimed attacks in a number of countries including, Turkey, Indonesia, France, Belgium, Germany, the US and Bangladesh. The proclamation of the caliphate also triggered a surge in the number of foreign fighters travelling to Syria and Iraq to join IS. A report published in December 2015 by the New York-based security consultancy Soufan Group estimated that 27,000 foreign jihadists had made the trip from 86 countries, more than half of them from the Middle East and North Africa. What has been re-captured? Elsewhere in Iraq and Syria, the conflict with IS has left cities and towns in ruins. Other areas have been cut off by IS militants, leaving their populations dependent on aid deliveries and black-market food supplies. One of the first major victories in the battle against IS was the recapture of the northern Syrian town of Kobane by Kurdish fighters in early 2015. The battle left more than 1,600 people dead and Kobane in ruins. But since then, Kurdish-led forces have driven IS militants out of thousands of square kilometres of northern Syria. Ramadi in western Iraq also suffered widespread destruction during a months-long offensive by Iraqi troops and pro-government militia that saw IS militants ousted from the city in January 2016, eight months after they overran it. If the assault on Mosul succeeds, attention will turn to de facto IS capital of Raqqa, in northern Syria. Palmyra in Syria was one of several ancient sites that IS ransacked and demolished. Its recapture by Syrian government forces aided by Russian air strikes in March 2016 was hailed by President Assad as an "important achievement" in the "war on terrorism". But IS members recaptured the city in December as government forces and their allies turned their attention to fighting local opposition forces in Aleppo and Damascus. INTERACTIVEUse the slider below to compare before and after images September 2015 August 2015 European Space Imaging, Digital Globe Palmyra: Islamic State's demolition in the desert How does IS get its funding? Oil was once the biggest single source of revenue for IS. The group seized control of many oil fields in Syria and Iraq, and sold oil on the black market. But production has fallen since US-led coalition and Russian air strikes began targeting the oil infrastructure. According to the Center for the Analysis of Terrorism, IS also lacks the technology to maintain ageing equipment, and wells are becoming more depleted, making the oil more difficult to extract. CAT found that extortion was the primary source of funding for IS in 2015. Money raised from taxes, fees, fines and confiscations accounted for 33% of the group's income, up from 12% the previous year, it said. As well as charging for services like water and electricity, IS levies taxes on products like wheat and cotton and it makes money from confiscating goods and property, which are then sold on. Analysis by the IHS Conflict Monitor said IS was now so short of funds it was imposing random fines for offences like driving on the wrong side of the road. The loss of territory and people under IS control means these sources of revenue are likely to continue decreasing. A report in the Huffington Post in July 2016 said it seemed likely that IS was no longer generating enough revenue to fund its operations. The struggle to stay rich Where are the refugees? More than 4.8 million Syrians have fled abroad to escape the fighting in Syria, according to the UN. Most have ended up in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Since then a deal between the EU and Turkey has curbed the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean - although Syrians still form the largest group of asylum-seekers in Europe. Germany received more than 740,000 asylum applications in 2016 - 268,866 were from Syrian refugees, according to the interior ministry. The UN estimates there are more than three million Iraqis who have been forced to leave their homes to escape the conflict with IS and are displaced within the country. The organisation has warned that the battle for control of Mosul could spark a mass exodus of another million people. Migration to Europe explained in seven charts

What's even more funny is that that while Obummer was in office, the BBC had more viable news stories about the former POTUS than the major top national newspapers did. Quite frequently I might add, that if I wanted to know what was the truth, I popped over to the BBC than to listen to the drivel and propaganda spewed by WastePo or the HasBeenTimes. You'd be quite surprised when foreign journalists are more accurate and journalistic than the snowflakes that are purportedly journalists for the USA. I have even read the articles in the Isreali papers to find out what was really happening here in a place the national papers and lamestream media were supposed to be "reporting" on. This is coming from someone who actually worked and wrote the six o'clock news for the nation's 32nd market as well as the weekend edition. I have also edited the video the reporters wanted done. I quit the day a producer thought it was more important than getting the satellite codes on the day of the OKC bombing to guy asking me for them, who just happened to be the director. They got their arse chewed out for that one. Take it from someone who has worked in the lamestream media, they are so far left of where they were in 1996, that if we were neighbors on the East coast they would live in the Andromeda Galaxy.

Well what do you expect when they belong to a theocratic way of life that glorifies death over life.

When hatred is manufactured and then manipulated by false narratives and memes by both friend and foe, it becomes all that much harder to work towards a common good. As the lines are further blurred between what is right and what is wrong, we, the people of America are finding ourselves once again in an era like that of McCarthyism. In the 1950's the nation of the United States was paralyzed by fear of Communism and a lot of good people lost careers and their lives. The effects from the ramifications of this paralyzing fear are still felt in the hallowed halls of the United States. It is felt in Hollywood, where the greatest consequences were felt. Jews in the Untied States vote left mainly due to this movement. This movement was wrong as it had people looking over their shoulders and at their neighbors for any signs of treason. However, having learnt the lessons from this paranoid period the United States finds itself in period bordering on the precipice of this darkened history. Is it only a matter of time that the Trump's Presidency is limited? Time will tell if the current environment is allowed to continue to fester then the United States is headed toward rapids down a river it has never encountered before. How will it navigate the treacherous waters ahead is anyone's guess. What is certain is if this escalates furtther and like that of the Holy Roman Empire, apathy will bring down the great walls of the United States. Through the rubble people will look dumbfounded as to what happened and how it happened. They will blame everything under the sun but in the end all they have to do is look at themselves.

Interesting oil link at end of article as well.

interesting article about inflation in Egypt. Iraq needs to take notice before RVing. This is What Happens to Inflation when a Currency Gets Unpegged from the Dollar by Wolf Richter • Feb 13, 2017 • 49 Comments The “supply shock” in Egypt On November 3, the Egyptian Central Bank removed all exchange-rate restrictions and raised its benchmark rate by three percentage points. This was done to obtain that all-important $12-billion bailout loan the IMF had provisionally agreed to provide in August, though by November 3, the IMF’s executive committee still hadn’t ratified it. In the unofficial market, the pound had already collapsed against the dollar. With the peg gone, the official exchange rate instantly plunged from 9 pounds to the dollar to over 15 pounds to the dollar, and four days later it was at 18 pounds. On November 11, the IMF stopped dragging its feet and ratified the $12-billion loan. At today’s rate of 17 pounds to the dollar, the currency has lost 48% of its value since November 3. This chart, showing the value of each pound in US cents, depicts that plunge in its horrific brutality: But Egypt imports about $60 billion per year in fuel, raw materials, and finished goods. And for Egyptians who have to pay for them in pounds, there are some bitter consequences. The latest announcement of those bitter consequences was the inflation rate for January: Overall consumer price inflation soared by 28% year-over-year and core inflation soared by 31%. This chart (via Trading Economics) of core inflation shows that everything from rents to computers was a big driver in a horrendous increase in the cost of living: This soaring inflation was due to “supply shocks,” Egyptian Finance Minister Amr El-Garhy told Bloomberg TV. It was not demand driven. It was “expected,” he said, given the devaluation. And it’s going to get worse: “We knew that this is still peaking when it comes to inflation, we expect this to happen.” Eventually, the impact of that supply shock may fade from the year-over-year statistics, and inflation might settle down, under ideal conditions, but the currency got crushed, and will remain crushed. But El-Garhy said the rise in Egyptian stocks was an “encouraging sign, and a strong vote of confidence in the economic reform program.” He also credited the $12-billion bailout loan from the IMF that Egyptians have to service with their devalued currency. With inflation changing so rapidly, no one knows what inflation amounts to on a daily basis. Everything denominated in pounds is losing value at a rapid rate that no one knows exactly. Inflation reporting happens after the fact, and may be unreliable. But the value that the pound loses today is what matters in order the gauge stock and bond prices today. And everyone is in the dark. The stock market denominated in Egyptian pounds has gained about 50% since the devaluation. That looks good on paper. And El-Garhy touted that. In reality, it just reflects the destruction of the currency. And foreign investors that are chasing yield wherever they can find it jumped on Egyptian debt. Last Thursday, they bought 98.5% of the 6.6 billion pounds ($372 million) in six-month Egyptian Treasury bills that the government issued and 97.5% of 6.6 billion in one-year bills, according to the Finance Ministry, cited by Bloomberg. And these foreign yield chasers are doing what they’re doing everywhere: driving down the yield. But these bonds are denominated in Egyptian pounds, and no one knows what inflation will do to the currency over the next 12 months. Being long oil is a very “crowded trade,” but who’s on the other side of that trade, and what do they know that speculators don’t? Read… Why a NYMEX Veteran is Getting Nervous about Oil

I know tiger. It was more of a rhetorical question and comment than anything.

Lot of people aren't going to be happy as OPEC continues to hold the current levels of oil production, the USA has begun to increase output levels thus keeping the average price of brent Crude around 55 per barrel for the foreseeable future. Not something that people want to hear when Iraq is wanting the price to reach mid 60's per barrel and stay there. 12 more wells from the previous month have begun or restarted production of oil in the USA.

Why do they want posts in the Iraqi government when they want to be their own independent sovereign nation? It's like California wanting to secede from the United States, telling its citizens they don't need no stinking Federal money then quietly going to the Federal Government and asking for a bail out because they rather put money towards non-citizens than their state's infrastructure and citizen's. Oh I forgot, they would rather protect people who are here illegally than the people who are here legally and of citizen stature. Of course they are more than willing to spend trillions of dollars on protecting people who have come into this country illegally than on their infrastructure that they could have fixed years ago during a drought and could have controlled the flow of water. Stupid is as stupid does. In both cases stupidity is a disease that unfortunately can't be cured.

Prepare to be astonished! As I was awaiting for the dinar rate to change, I found this video of how smart ISIS members actually are. This video contains graphic language. Nothing graphic other than the language. I think the Benny Hill theme should be playing in the background than some of this stuff!

While my last assessment on Excel taken just recently was above 95%, the auto-fill feature is not something everyone uses even with the most experienced excel users. VLOOKUP is also a very under utilized tool that people find difficult to use but really isn't. They probably could have just as well highlighted the cell and dragged the info down the column by the little block on the lower right. Works the same as autofill. Why the haven't done either is anyone's guess. The rationale I gave was the most logical down to earth explanation. The next date to change the rates is slated for July. If the indicative date changes then and then does not change this proves the "skeptical point of view" that this is an "as-of" date and there is nothing further to read into this. The auctions states the rate to which the auction took place. It's right there in black and white. Nothing at all skeptical about that. What is skeptical is seeing something that is in front of your face and wanting something so bad you change what you see into something it is not. Skeptical is saying that all the auctions that do not have cells filled in will be back filled in to the new rate when a new rate is announced. Money has already changed hands. Iraq isn't going to go back to all of these auctions and say oh by the way we changed the rate we owe you money. The auctions took place at the stated rate, the program rate of 1182. I could see them doing this maybe to one or two auctions but the amount of auctions that have taken place and the time that has passed is too great in number to grandfather those into the new rate. This would be adding additional complexity to the past auctions that they do not need. Most of the time a duck is is just that - a duck

A wing and a prayer?

In other news, Lucky the Leprechaun was spotted under the rainbow with a pot o gold riding a unicorn who farts fairy dust. RV happenin soon!Too many people "see what they believe" rather than believe what they see. Top o the morn t''ya lads, ain't gonna bring it sooner to wish on me lucky charms! I know looking at the auction site for the rate is too much work, rather be handed the info. /s

Putting chips into people were talked about in the 70's. Back then people saw this as the sign of the devil. Some still see it that way. The war against Christians has quelled this fear dramatically that now people see it as a natural stage of technological evolution. A good book to read is from Jean Dixon, She worked for JFK in the 60's, it wasabput she prophecied the fall of the United Statesandhow that fall would mimick the fall of the Roman Empire. One of the things she claimed is that people would be marked on their hands or wrists. Reading sci-fi authors are some of the greatest prophets as much pf what has been written in sci-fi has come to pass or is in the works. At one time chipping was thought to be in the distant future. we need to bring back Walt Disney's World of Tomorrow where future kitchens and appliances among other things are showcased. The World Fair is just to far away.

Best cure fore depression...RV of IQD. Well until the money runs out!

If you are worried about the spreadsheet, look at the auction when they post it the CBI states the rate at which the auction took place. The indicative rate has not changed since Jan 4th so why should they updte the date to the current day. This seems inefficient. The date is an "as of" date which will get changed next time they need to chnge it, like was done at the end of December. There is nothing fishy happening. Pyrite is a fools gold because only a fool sees gold where there is none.

Funnyhow you show these guys as none of them are republican! martin Short stopped acting to raise his family. Chevy chase got fat and fell into disrepute. as Meatloaf said, two out of three aint bad.

The women's clinic called they need their dong back to make further deposits for later early withdrawals.

Some people do look into rumors although some are just so absurd that they bear a hearty Ha! Ha! A lie always starts with a kernel of truth.

the e-dinar is name of an internet based electronic payment and exchange system that facilitates online transactions 100% backed by physical gold and silver. The physical gold and silver bullion backing e-dinar and e-dirham units are always equivalent or larger than all electronic e-dinar and e-dirham in circulation. The physical gold and silver bullion is held securely in internationally renowned bullion repositories. Account holders always have the option to exchange their gold an silver into any major national currency or redeem them and take physical possession of an equivalent amount of gold dinar and silver dirham.

https://www.e-dinar.com/cgi/?page=edinar&a=_1 is an eDinar website. However this is related to the Islamic dinar. In 2015, Tunisia replaced their national currency with the edinar. http://www.the-blockchain.com/2015/12/28/tunisia-to-replace-its-national-digital-currency-edinar-with-blockchain-driven-monetas-currency/ Also Algiers has it as well. EDinars are considered cryptocurrency similar to bitcoins. However, according to the first link, eDinars are backed by gold and another metal. eDinars have been around since about 2012 and is not new. It might be new to Iraq and those whom will accept it. eDinars is most likely the Islamic equivalent to the bitcoin but under the auspices of Islam. the so-called guru gets away with this particular post because few people have heard of it. Few people have heard of the frog on the log on the bottom of the sea too it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Is the guy on the right asleep?

A story from 2012 being brought 5 years later and we are supposed to say yeah okay. How many terrorist attacks have gone on since this happened in 2012? How many deaths in Chicago have happened? The real crime is the black-on-black murders in Chicago that is being allowed to continue. How since Obummer took office murder rates have spiked in the inner cities of America. People don't want to do business downtown anymore because they fear for their lives. Tourism has suffered in Chicago not only due the violence. The fake story is that so-called white supremacists are running roughshod over the black communities in America. America participated in the slave trade and in 1865 people lost their lives breaking free those in the shackles but the proverbial shackles remain on. its been said they left the plantations of the cotton fields for the cement plantations of the urban cities. To lift oneself up takes a mental mindset not that of a victim but of a I can do it and am above it. It takes education and hard work. Victimhood is lazy and takes no skill at all. You want a safe space, go off the grid. Get rid of the fake news and how they manipulate it to divide you. This article is nothing more than race-baiting. What comes out of this article? The Aryan race and its ideologies are dead only the furthest fringes believe in this crap. The Aryan race was supposedly said to have originated in Atlantis. Hitler said the Shahada with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. Hitler believed in the occult, mostly Nordic, and did away with believing in Christianity. When you know that, you know that there is no such thing as a white supremacist only nutjobs who have been propagandized like what the media is doing to a lot of people who buy into this crap to believe they are entitled to something they aren't. No such thing as a palestinkian, radical muslim or white supremacist. Because a white supremacist ain't superior to no one else.