In Iraq, Syria, militants try to govern as a state
Across the broad swath of territory they control bridging Syria and Iraq, extremist militants from the group known as the Islamic State have proven to be highly organized administrators. Flush with cash, they fix roads, police traffic, administer courts, and have even set up an export system of smuggled crude from oil fields they have […]Zeina Karam and Bassem Mroue report for the Associated Press:
Across the broad swath of territory they control bridging Syria and Iraq, extremist militants from the group known as the Islamic State have proven to be highly organized administrators. Flush with cash, they fix roads, police traffic, administer courts, and have even set up an export system of smuggled crude from oil fields they have seized.
But the extremists - a mix of Iraqis and Syrians but also foreign fighters from Arab countries and non-Arab regions like the Caucasus - run the risk of provoking a backlash from the people they have come to rule.
