The [censored] just got real. The air base has Russian fighter jets. ISIL has been trying to capture and acquire an air force since June, and now they have one. Oh boy.

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/world/middleeast/isis-militants-capture-air-base-from-syrian-government-forces.html

Only if they've got some brilliant mechanics with experience working on Russian fighter jets. All the planes will have been scuttled or vacated. The article confirms that.

They might have some. They might even have trained pilots. ISIL militants are spread out, but their mechanics and pilots may be en route to the air base as we speak. Based on what I read from the article, ISIL was willing to suffer huge casualties to capture that air base. They wanted it for a reason. They may have kept their precious mechanics and pilots out of the firefight, but now they will find a use for those mechanics and pilots.

We should drop bombs on the air base, now, and wipe out everything to prevent any complication.

ISIS is not an evil empire. They are a bunch of guerrillas who have only had as much success as they've had because of the relative cost of the civil war on Syria and their armed forces. I don't get why everyone seems to think that they're the end of the world.

Furthermore, now that we are out of Iraq and Afghanistan, what do you think the effect of America getting involved in yet another Middle Eastern war would be? ISIS is Assad's problem, for now. When they march on Israel, we might be talking. Until then, we have no sovereign authority to deal with ISIS directly. If we fight them at all, we fight in Iraq. Not Syria.

They'll need Allah to fly those planes because they sure can't.

Both Turkey and Iran are significant military powers in the region -including decent airforces- and both directly border on the area of the conflict. Russia has been supporting Assad's government right through the civil war, and are unlikely to stop now that Assad's enemies are an international threat*. Syria won't run out of bullets any time soon.

Might be hard times for the locals, but it's a question of how long the war will go on and how much damage is done, not who will win.

*Perhaps not to Russia -though some of their domestic terrorists are Muslims, and could potentially receive training or support- but I don't see them benefiting from an ISIL takeover in the region.

Dumbest post i've read today. you have no idea what you are talking about.

So you think america and europe should wait until ISIS starts attacking them? I realize the problem with starting a new war but I think it is important too destryo ISIS before they get too powerful.

Don't be so sure they can't use them.

You know, a few years ago everyone was lobbing spitballs at us for our idea of "preemptive war" and being the global police force. Now they want us to go help them out when it is not, in any way, in our interest to do so. Funny stuff.

Let me give you the options. ISIS/ISIL are currently active in the Levant region and Iraq, a region destabilized by decades of constant war and the Arab Spring. They are vultures, feeding on the carcass of states. While they may, someday, become an organized state, that is far off and will never be recognized. They will be subjected to the harshest economic sanctions the world can throw at them, enough to make interwar Germany look like Dubai. They become a Sunni state, war continues in the Middle East, but they come up against brick walls on all sides. Iran is the global capitol of Shia Islam, and ISIS/ISIL are Sunni. I'm sure that Iran, who is reasonably militarily powerful, would love to see an expanding Sunni power on their doorstep. Israel wouldn't be too happy either. Turkey has been having difficulties with radicals and they don't want anything to make that worse. Russia doesn't want anything to risk its business interests, China is the same plus they don't want an expanding Muslim power that could rile up the Chinese Muslims.

The point is, ISIS/ISIL are quixotic. They will never be able to establish their Caliphate, because every single power, particularly Iran, who is largely responsible for much of the Muslim terrorism that has harmed the West, wants them to fail. If they do anything but kill a bunch of people, most likely that will be to give Iran and the West the detante they've been pursuing but without the political excuse to go public with. Worst case scenario: Taliban situation in the region. Big whoop. Best case? They'll pick a fight with anyone and get crushed.

They can't use them because they are gone. They've either been scuttled (blown to smithereens) or removed. No air force would abandon an airfield with a functional fleet of aircraft, and all signs are that the Syrians made good. This is fearmongering, and inept fearmongering at that.

Let someone else deal with them, America needs to sit back and stay out of fights we have no business being involved in.

Well you've convinced me with that evidence!

Don't be sure they don't have nuclear warheads either guys. They could have nuclear physicists and components en route as we type!!!1!1!

Saudis (individually, like Osama, if not on a larger scale) have been known to support groups similar to ISIL. They are the strictest Islamic state, and their dominant sect is Sunni. I can see them being open to possibilities there.

However, they also don't want to sour their relationship with the USA too much. It has been rather beneficial and profitable to them. So they might sneak supplies in and take other covert actions, but overall I expect they're a fairly neutral player.

EDIT: And I should mention that no-one is likely to embargo SA... there's no way we could afford it. Even if we made an exception for oil, I'm pretty sure they've got enough money kicking around that they'd be laughing all the way to their platinum-coated Ferraris while we got none of their black stuff.

Saudi Arabia has good reasons for helping ISIS/ISIL, actually. They're a good blunt object to hit Iran with. If it happens, it'll be very under the table, but they'll back them until they threaten the Saud family's position.

I'm just saying that one of these days they will strike the west. I don't doubt they can't form their empire or whatever but that's not the issue. The issues is if they operate hidden and terrorize the west. Sure maybe this is hard to avoid and a war might not even help but just thinking...

Sarcasm at its worst.

You have no evidence for anything you are saying beyond maybes and hypotheticals in your own head. If you have evidence I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

What exactly am I trying to prove here? Learn to read maybe?

Where is the evidence they have the pilots and mechanics in order to turn this air base into a viable air force beyond the fact that maybe, just maybe, they have mechanics and pilots? Right there in your title your saying they have an air force, I'm guessing that is what your trying to prove, I fail to see any evidence that this is the case in the article.

Did I claim they have those? I just wrote : "Don't be soo sure..."

Fair enough.

Anyone can use them, but the chances of them using them effectively or even slightly well is remote.

...unless they have avid Battlefield players amongst them.

What scares me most about IS is not IS itself, but the effect they're having on parts of Europe's Muslim population. Hundreds of Europeans have already gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for IS. A British citizen cut off the head of an American reporter. And there are lots of people here who support these actions. Apparently, about 25% of all French citizens between 18 and 34 years old supports IS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGloBAvDcSE. Rough translation:

We congratulate our mighty community with the founding of the caliphate. May God bless you, heroes of the community, and reward you with all the best. God's greetings to you from the Netherlands.

- In God's name!

- God is great!

- The Islamic state..

- ... stays!

In the [censored] Netherlands.