The Islamic State Is Failing To Feed And Meet The Needs Of The People That It Has Conquered

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, in this June 11, 2014 file photo. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer/Files

Can Islamic State Feed The People It Conquers? -- Bloomberg

As winter takes hold in the Islamic State-captured city of Mosul, soaring prices for meat and basic foods are sending an extra chill through Iraqi households.

Residents used to eating traditional Mosul kibbeh, balls of wheat stuffed with minced lamb, and bean soup with beef say they can now only afford to eat rice and lentils for most meals. The dearth of produce and rampant inflation mean their Iraqi dinars are buying less and less since the city’s seizure in June. One widow said her monthly food bill for five people has more than doubled over those five months.

The restrictions of life in Mosul show how the people Islamic State were trying to mollify and recruit are now bracing for further hardship. While militants have promised to stock market stalls with the spoils of war, the scarcer availability of some staples has been compounded by the struggle to cope with the rising price of cooking fuel.

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My Comment: Electricity and communication interruptions .... followed by food becoming scarce and expensive .... followed by failing services and infrastructure .... this cannot end well.