First modern jihadist state forming in central Syria and Iraq

With breathtaking speed, the creation of the first jihadi state in modern times is almost a fait accompli, stretching from central Syria to central Iraq – with nothing standing in the way of militants’ designs on Baghdad.

“This is shaping up to be the biggest Arab-jihadi victory since the 12th Century – 1187 – with the fall of crusader Jerusalem,” Lt. Col. Ralph Peters told Fox News. “This is momentous! I can’t overstate the importance,” he said.

Boundaries and borders seem meaningless to the jihadists. “That line on the Rand McNally map dividing Iraq from Syria is gone,” he added. “It’s now a true jihadi state.” In the last few days, the second largest city in Iraq, Mosul, fell to the offensive conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Iraqi troops trained by the U.S. abandoned their weapons and fled the city, along with 500,000 refugees. Since Wednesday, the militants rolled into Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein, and seized oil fields further to the south.

ISIS forces also looted the central bank in Mosul of $420 million, took 48 employees of the Turkish consulate as hostages, and seized American Humvees, helicopters and weapons. They are only 80 miles from Baghdad and vow to take the city. Keep reading