The rapid rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shām (ISIS) is rooted to the 100-year anniversary of the British invasion of Iraq and Syria in November 1914. After easily capturing the oil port of Basra, arrogant British mission creep (sound familiar?) led to an effort to take Baghdad. The result was massive casualties and a humiliating surrender in one of the British Empire’s worst defeats. ISIS over the next six months will celebrate this Muslim victory as a recruiting tool to build their Caliphate.    With the Ottoman Empire's declaration of war on the United Kingdom on November 5, 1914, Expeditionary Force D, mostly made up of Indian colonial units under General Sir John Nixon, invaded Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq and Syria. The goal was to secure the oil refineries, storage tanks, and pipelines at Abadan Island and capture the Iraqi refinery and oil wells around the Persian Gulf port of Basra. Almost 97% of shipping relied on coal production...(Read Full Article)