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Leah Boyd
Sarah Crist
English 4
November 7, 2014
ISIS
Pressure is increasing on the United States to go after ISIS in Iraq and Syria, ignoring the
non-existent boarder between the two countries. Attacking the militant group in Syria may be
the only way to defeat the Islamic State. Although, the Syrian military made no decision to
order military action to the threat of ISIS, the United States has no problem stepping in. It will
be difficult to defeat ISIS without ground forces, but that is an option that the United States
government opposes. The United States has expanded air strikes to include ISIS targets in Syria
in an effort to take down the terrorist group.
The ISIS targets in Syria include command/control facilities, supply depots, training
areas, as well as vehicles and trucks located in Syria. The targets that America is proceeding to
strike are up to twenty targets. The prime target of ISIS is their oil refineries. The possession of
crude oil by ISIS is how they get money to fund their militant group. As stated by Syria Deeply,
"The value of the ISIS oil trade has been widely estimated at between $1 and $3 million per day,
though experts have warned that the figure could be a high estimate," according to analysts.
United States airstrikes ae targeting the oil revenues; however, this could impact the local area

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and the prices of oil. If the United States ended the control of oil in the Middle East by ISIS, then
the income ISIS is thriving by would decline. Eliminating the ISIS possession of oil could
deteriorate ISIS.
The United States have launched various airstrikes at ISIS targets in Syria. The United
States was very successful in hitting whatever they were aiming at. The strikes being launched
are going after the groups ability to sustain itself. As reported by Reuters, Air strikes by U.S.led forces have killed 521 Islamist fighters and 32 civilians during a month-long campaign
in Syria, a monitoring group which tracks the violence said on Thursday (Thomson). Airstrikes
to ISIS targets in Syria have caused loss of innocent lives; yet, the airstrikes have helped slow
down the advancement of the militant group. As the airstrikes rocks cities in Syria, ISIS militants
are vanishing from portions of Syria.
ISIS is a not only a threat to the United States security, but is also a threat to the Middle
East if ISIS establishes itself permanently. It is very important to take down ISIS because they
are causing major destruction. For example, as stated by CNN, In the process of achieving its
military gains, ISIS is massing large caches of weaponry, taking over oil fields in Iraq, filling its
coffers with cash and developing what could eventually become enormous military, economic
and political power, if it is able to achieve its objectives (Frida). Stopping ISIS could possibly
prevent more disastrous things that are waiting to occur in the Middle East. It is crucial to
terminate ISIS before an outbreak of war corrupts.
The United States is targeting an ISIS stronghold in Syria by airstrikes. Launched
airstrikes by the United States and other Arab nations have been very successful. The militant

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group is a security threat to many nations. It is very important to prevent ISIS activity because
the militant group is growing day by day and becomes a bigger threat. The United States has
expanded air strikes to include ISIS targets in Syria in an effort to take down the terrorist group.

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Works Cited
Fantz, Ashley. "Joint Chiefs Chairman: 'I Don't See' Baghdad Falling." CNN. Cable News Network,
01 Jan. 1970. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

Capelouto, Susanna, Ingrid Formanek, Hamdi Alkhshali, and Kareem Khadder Contributed to
This Story. "ISIS Pushed Back with Help of U.S. Airstrikes in Kobani." CNN. Cable News
Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.