Today's Defence news includes reporting that Daesh’s blueprint for building a viable state has been revealed, and further coverage of the UK's fight against the extremist group in Syria.
Daesh
The Guardian reports on a leaked internal manual that is said to be Daesh’s blueprint for building a viable state. The article reports that documents show how the terrorist group has set about building a state in Iraq and Syria, complete with government departments, a treasury and an economic programme for self-sufficiency. The Times follows up on this piece. Separately, the Daily Telegraph reports that coalition air strikes against Daesh are reducing its oil revenues to a point that it is being forced to cut fighters’ pay, according to global intelligence firm IHS.
Amnesty International report
Multiple articles, including in the Daily Express and The Independent, cover an Amnesty International report claiming that Daesh may be using weapons exported to the Middle East by the UK. Coverage looks at lines in the report that say assault weapons and small arms sent from Britain to Iraq in the wake of the 2003 invasion may have ended up in the hands of the militants. The Government's position on this can be seen in full below.
A Government spokesperson said:
The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world.
Daesh’s operations in Syria and Iraq have unfolded against the backdrop of a permissive security environment in which a wide variety of arms and vehicles have flowed for decades. Daesh primarily procures weaponry by looting equipment from its opponents, and also benefits from local and regional black markets. Further capture of state military equipment by Daesh remains a possibility, until we can carry out the action to deny them space and save haven.
Afghanistan
A report in The Times says a letter found in the pocket of a fallen Daesh fighter proves that it is those in Pakistan who are in command of the terrorist group’s burgeoning presence in Afghanistan. A separate story in The Independent reports that Daesh is winning over Taliban fighters in Afghanistan with the promise of money.
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