ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Germany's lower house of parliament has approved joining the military campaign against Islamic State in Syria. Germany will send six Tornado reconnaissance jets, a frigate to help protect the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, refueling aircraft, and up to 1,200 military personnel to Syria, Reuters reported. However, Germany will not join in airstrikes, which are currently being launched by the US, Britain, France, and Russia. Of the 598 lawmakers who took part in the Friday vote, 445 voted for military action and 146 against. Seven members of parliament abstained. The decision was put to parliament following an appeal from France which came after the November 13 terror attacks in Paris. Until now, Germany has provided only logistical and technical assistance to the international alliance fighting against IS. The mission’s cost is estimated to reach about US$141.7 million.

Oil transportation routes into Turkey from Syria and Iraq. © Ministry of defence of the Russian Federation / Sputnik So why did Washington take virtually forever to not really acknowledge ISIS/ISIL/Daesh is selling stolen Syrian oil that will eventually find its way to Turkey? Because the priority all along was to allow the CIA – in the shadows – to run a “rat line” weaponizing a gaggle of invisible “moderate rebels”. As much as Daesh – at least up to now – Barzani mob in Iraqi Kurdistan was never under Washington’s watch. The oil operation the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) runs to Turkey is virtually illegal; stolen state-owned oil as far as Baghdad is concerned. Daesh stolen oil can’t flow through Damascus-controlled territory. Can’t flow though Shiite-dominated Iraq. Can't go east to Iran. It’s Turkey or nothing. Turkey is the easternmost arm of NATO. The US and NATO “support” Turkey. So a case can be made that the US and NATO ultimately support Daesh. What’s certain i