Jamie Dettmer, writing in the Daily Beast, says that US and western humanitarian aid is being delivered to IS controlled territories, and that local NGO's delivering the aid pay off Islamic State emirs thus giving the terrorists another source of revenue. The aid, delivered under the auspices of USAID, consists mostly of food and medical supplies. IS makes sure that the people receiving the aid believe it's from the terrorists, which cements the loyalty of  IS subjects to the government. The aid—mainly food and medical equipment—is meant for Syrians displaced from their hometowns, and for hungry civilians. It is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, European donors, and the United Nations. Whether it continues is now the subject of anguished debate among officials in Washington and European. The fear is that stopping aid would hurt innocent civilians and would be used for propaganda purposes by the militants, who would likely blame...(Read Full Post)