ISIS has a cash-flow problem

[bertramhall]

businessinsider.com/isis-has-a-cash-flow-problem-2015-9
ISIS suffers loses because of cheap oil. The only way for them is to levy taxes from those who live on the territories under the IS control. It seems that they would agree even for higher taxes as they payed them before. Considering the fact that people who live on these territories were not against IS as terrorists set up control and peace. They agreed to live in a fear than to live in the war.
ISIS is not weakening it gets more support and it has real opportunities to become a real state.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Considering the fact that people who live on these territories were not against IS as terrorists set up control and peace. They agreed to live in a fear than to live in the war.

You must have a very simplistic view of the world... would like to see how you would have take up arms against the IS as a Syrian. Armchair quarterbacking at worst.

[Beezer]

Perfect time for a Tea Party wing of ISIS to emerge. Let's show those Raqqa fatcats that they have to live within their means.

[ingemann]

This have been well known for month, what's new is how dire the situation is for ISIS.

Early ISIS financed it through mixed means of looting, oil/gas sale and taxing the inhabitants of their territories, they was able to reward their men with slaves and looted property with low sale value. The Sunni Arab population in their territories accepted ISIS because the taxes was relative low and ISIS delivered more law and order than other rebel groups (who often is little more than glorified tribal bandits).

ISIS problem are that their lack of conquests have cut potential loot and slaves down, we already earlier saw a rise in taxes as result, with their subjected population becoming more hostile as result (there was some brutal murders on Isis's enforcers). Now we also see a fall in their oil revenues, which mean that they have to raise taxes even more, at the same time fewer volunteers are arriving and the Kurds have cut much of their access to Turkey off, while the regime are close to conquer their gas fields near Palmyra. At the same time ISIS try to make up for their fall in recruits through conscription of local Sunnis, who have no wish to fight for ISIS, alienating the local tribes even more.

Honestly I wouldn't be surprise if we see spontaneous uprising among the Sunni tribes as we saw a year ago at Deir Ez-Zor, where a local tribe joined the regime, especially if the Russian support become more than just defensive (Russia have begun to build fortified garrisons along the coast), if they example begin to make air missions for the regime.