To learn more about the latest developments in Iraq, euronews spoke with Hasni Abidi, an expert on the Arab world.<br /><br />We asked Mr Abidi about the militant group Islamic State. <br /><br />euronews: Who is this organisation and where are their funds coming from?<br /><br />Hasni Abidi: “This organisation is the successor to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It was created in 2006 by Al-Qaeda in Iraq and its representative Moussab al-Zarqaoui. <br /><br />“He was then succeeded by al-Baghdadi who announced that his organisation had become independent. The Islamic State is a grouping of several organisations which are trying to find the ideal environment in which to flourish. <br /><br />“They have their own sources of income thanks to the weapons recovered during battle, there are also ransom demands and other activities, such as the robbery of a bank in Mosul where the organisation recovered almost 500 million dollars. <br /><br />“The group has also taken advantage of the Syria-Iraq border to attract many supporters.”<br /><br />euronews: “How do you explain Washington’s decision to intervene at this point with strategic targetting while the Islamic State’s offensive has been underway for two years?”<br /><br />Hasni Abidi: “The American decision was the right one, but it came too late. And the question here is why the international community is only waking up to this issue now?<br /><br />“For some time now there have been calls for the international community to act to protect Iraq and its communities, especially the minorities: Iraqi Christians who have no recourse to military force to protect themselves as the Sunnis and Shiites do. And despite all of these calls, the international community barely lifted a finger.<br /><br />“Following on from his speech Barack Obama can help the Iraqi government. Baghdad hopes to use the precarious situation of Iraqi Christians in order to gain access to American aid.”
