Col. Gen. Leonid Ivashov, the president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems and former senior official at Russia’s Defense Ministry in charge of foreign military cooperation, described the US campaign to roll back ISIL insurgency as halfhearted.
"On the one hand, they are indeed wary of the Islamic State and this rise in Islamic radicalism. But, on the other, they were the driving force behind [ISIL], and they still use it as a tool to destroy the Islamic civilization and culture, a tool to pressure Syria, Iran and keep control of Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries," Ivashov said.
Ivashov said Washington was only acting out of concern that the countries’ vast oil reserves could fall into ISIL's hands, but defeating the group was not a priority. The analyst added the US was interested in a spillover to Central Asia and Russia’s Caucasus, which are predominantly Muslim.
