Members of the Islamic State (ISIS) control most of the oil and gas fields in Iraq and Syria. They sell the oil to increase assets in Damascus and Baghdad, said Janine Davidson, a senior fellow for defense policy at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, RIA Novosti reports.
ISIS has taken control of over 35% of Syrian territory and almost all the oil and gas fields, according to Davidson. Their power is unprecedented in the history of extremist organizations. Davidson concluded that the organization may split as a result of religious differences.
