More Shiite volunteers. Yahoo/Reuters
ISIS rules captured Iraqi territory with terror and intimidation. Yahoo/Reuters. When ISIS captured the city of al-Alam, they kidnapped 30 local families and threatened them. Resistance ceased afterwards. ISIS is presumed to only have 20,000 fighters but intimidation and fear, as well as more then a little help from, allied Sunni and Baathist militias, enable them to control the large swaths of territory. Towns that resist ISIS are punished by artillery and mortar fire. Residents are allowed to "repent" and receive a sheet of paper stating that they are not to be harmed.
My Comment:
More bad news from Iraq. It's clear to me that the reason ISIS has been so successful in Iraq and Syria is because they have a very effective propaganda machine. Their actual power, before capturing tons of military supplies, was rather limited. They only have a handful of fighters and are overly dependent on Sunni and Baathist militias. But "join us or die" is a very powerful message when you actually follow through with the killing. The people are terrified and think that any resistance is hopeless. Which is only true because they believe it.
Also, it's worth repeating that a major reason that ISIS has succeeded is due to the complete collapse of the Iraq military. They were poorly trained and equipped and face very severe morale and leadership problems. They would have troubles face any opponent, let alone one as brutal as ISIS. Fighting against anyone when you have poor equipment, no training and terrible leaders is hard enough but when you know that if you lose and are captured or surrender you will be killed at best, then it becomes understandable when you hear reports of desertion.
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