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Here's where ISIS got its weapons - and why it's so hard to stop them from getting more

Paul Szoldra,Paul Szoldra,Paul SzoldraDec 4, 2015, 18:58 IST

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ISIS has anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 fighters and is one of the world's most dangerous terrorist groups.

But how did a group barely anyone knew of just a few years ago take over vast territories in Iraq and Syria and carry out terror attacks in Egypt and France?

Guns - lots of them. And how they got them is a murky tale of failed Soviet states, Middle Eastern gun culture, arms smuggling, and battlefield success.