WHILST not wishing to doubt the truthfulness and trustfulness of our political leaders who are bombing the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, there are certain questions which I have not seen them answer - still less raise.

IS is funding itself largely through the sale of oil from the Iraq oilfields it has captured; unless the jihadists have in a very short time developed a markedly efficient and alternative marketing strategy, we have to assume that they are selling this oil largely to the same people who were buying it from the privatised Iraqi oilfields beforehand - western commercial concerns.

Additionally my memory is still accurate enough to recall that in the "shock and awe" bombing of Iraq when Saddam was in power, whilst the transport infrastructure, electricity supply and water supply were bombed, and in many cases are still not functioning fully over a decade later, the oilfields were not bombed. I note that in the current campaign, this is being repeated, and that the easily-targeted oilfields which IS controls are not being bombed.

Could one possibly suspect that here we have business as usual? That the outlets IS are selling their oil to are largely those that the now privatised and western-owned oil concerns were selling to before, and that - in expectation of regaining control of these riches after an IS defeat - western interests are refraining from destroying the one asset that could bring IS to its knees?

IR Mitchell,

21 Woodside Terrace, Glasgow.