The most dangerous terrorist organization in the world, but also the most powerful, richest and most technologically advanced. After the Paris attacks and the French response to Raqqa, international governments try to figure out how to defeat Isis Before it's too late.
The strategy seems to have changed compared to the past: it is not enough to face the Caliphate on a military level, but it is necessary to hit it above all on a financial one, unhinging the fruitful funding network that the Islamic State has managed to create in the last 13 months. Not only Syrian and Iraqi oil, but also kidnappings of foreigners, robberies, taxes, extortion, looting, smuggling and donations.
A real system that in 2014, as reported by the Sole 24 Ore, he managed to generate 2 billion dollars.
But what are the main sources of funding for the Islamic State?
Dai oil wells located in the territories controlled by the Caliphate, Isis was able to obtain between 2 and 3 million dollars a day. To date, crude oil remains the first source of financing which guarantees about 450 million euros in revenues. According to American intelligence, the Islamic State sells barrels of oil at very low prices with which the OPEC countries obviously cannot compete. The same can be said for the sale of gas from the Der Ezzor field in Syria. With the targeted bombing of oil wells, production has dropped, but according to the International Energy Agency it has not yet stopped. Furthermore, like the main oil companies, ISIS is also starting to suffer from the drop in prices recorded in 2015.
Not to be underestimated either revenues from taxes and extortion on citizens residing in the territories placed under its control. A real tax system based on taxes on commerce, entrepreneurship and road haulage. As Il Sole 24 Ore points out, quantifying the proceeds deriving from this "sector" is not easy, even if it is estimated at around 8 million dollars a month, 96 million in a year.
They deserve a separate chapter the looting carried out against private individuals and institutions. After the conquest of Mosul, a city located in northern Iraq, Islamic extremists took possession of hundreds of millions of dollars deposited in banks and other precious assets, primarily gold bars.
From smuggling of archaeological goods and works of art, the Islamic State would earn about 100 million dollars a year.
Finally, the last source of financing is represented by donations from Islamic charities or private individuals. Matthew Levitt, director of the Washington Institute for Near Policy's "Counterterrorism and Intelligence Program", estimates that in 2013 and 2014 ISIS received over $40 million in funding from Persian Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
Therefore, through its numerous resources, the Caliphate led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi managed to build a real empire that the Western States decided to strike in order to interrupt the organization's ability to generate income capable of supporting operations terrorists. Yesterday, for the first time since the international campaign against the Islamic State began, 4 American fighter jets aimed at 166 oil tankers in Dayr Az Zor, an oil hub located in Syria. From now on, the war against ISIS will be fought on two fronts: the military and the financial one.
