&gt;  the european media are doing a bad job at telling people the whole story in simple terms about how syria got in this mess<p>The BBC text linked &quot;conveniently&quot; ignores some influential players and even the recent history:<p>Compare:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.washingtonpost.com&#x2F;world&#x2F;national-security&#x2F;cia-begins-weapons-delivery-to-syrian-rebels&#x2F;2013&#x2F;09&#x2F;11&#x2F;9fcf2ed8-1b0c-11e3-a628-7e6dde8f889d_story.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.washingtonpost.com&#x2F;world&#x2F;national-security&#x2F;cia-b...</a><p>The Washington Post, September 11, 2013: &quot;CIA begins weapons delivery to Syrian rebels&quot;<p>And:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_...</a><p>&quot;The group gained prominence after it drove Iraqi government forces out of key cities in western Iraq in an offensive initiated in early 2014.&quot;<p>Also note, the state as of October 2014:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.quora.com&#x2F;Where-is-ISIL-getting-their-ammunition" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.quora.com&#x2F;Where-is-ISIL-getting-their-ammunition</a><p>(which refers to: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.conflictarm.com&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2014&#x2F;10&#x2F;Dispatch_IS_Iraq_Syria_Ammunition.pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.conflictarm.com&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2014&#x2F;10&#x2F;Dispat...</a>  )<p>&quot;Iraqi and Syrian government forces and moderate rebels now face a significant number of ISIL fighters equipped from huge stocks of captured American-made weapons. The report states that the majority of ISIL ammo recovered in Iraq appears traceable to these stocks.&quot;