All of the Islamic State’s well-heeled supporters are without any doubt deeply devout Muslims, but mainstream counterterror analysts in the U.S. are resolutely determined to ignore that fact and its implications.
“Islamic State relies on money transfers from sympathizers in Turkey, Iraq: Report,” Al-Monitor, February 1, 2021 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
The Islamic State terror group was largely crushed by coordinated international effort in 2019, but its networks appear to still have access to an estimated $100 million in cash reserves stashed across the Middle East, the US Treasury Department said.
IS’ monetary reserves are at a historic low since it took over swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014, having since lost all of its tax- and oil-producing territory.
But the group’s remnants in Syria continue to receive streams of cash from associates based in neighboring Turkey and from smugglers in Iraq, according to an unclassified Treasury Department memo released earlier this month.
Some of those transfers have gone via local hawalas (money services businesses) in the notorious al-Hol internment camp, which houses some 50,000 family members of IS fighters. Other cash shipments have been delivered by courier across the flat, open desert border between Iraq and Syria.
Inside Syria, the group continues to raise funds “through extortion of oil smuggling networks in eastern Syria, kidnaping for ransom targeting civilian businesses and populations, looting and possibly the operation of front companies,” the memo from the Treasury’s chief auditor read.
The document provides a limited window into a forgotten front in the US-led war against the jihadi proto-state, a conflict that has largely dropped from the headlines. But networks of IS militants are still out there, and as last week’s twin suicide bombings in Baghdad underscore, they remain deadly….
Infidel says
Now, under Biden, the powers that be are back to calling ISIS ‘Daesh’ again (I myself personally prefer ISIL, since Isis was an Egyptian Pasejet goddess and I’m not a fan of besmirching her). I’ve seen this groups simply referred to as ‘Islamic State’ in the Indian media, which is more accurate, since this group has spread to countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh and most recently, a Turkish backed cell was even uncovered in India
More importantly than their name, the fact remains that the US has refused to call out Turkey for its backing of ISIS. Had this been Iran, we’d probably already have been at war. Turkey has become a more prominent backer of jihad than Iran, thanks to the fact that while Iran has been heavily sanctioned, Turkey is still a part of NATO and considered an ally, and nobody thinks twice about backing them. It’s high time the US revised its foreign policy particularly on Turkey, but I don’t expect that from this administration
gravenimage says
Yes–Turkey backs ISIS, and few are addressing that at all.
Stephen O'mara says
Do not forget the cash raised during countless Labour club back room ”collections” for ”Palestinian Relief.” These short sighted, Liberal ”donations” end up with terrorists who eventually kill our own citizens
gravenimage says
Yes–a lot of charity winds up in the hands of Jihadists. And this is not just money laundering–one of the purposes of “Zakat”–ofter mistranslated as “charity”–is to fund violent Jihad.
born saturday says
you must be blatantly ignorant or have some other interest not to realise that the war of isis and the whole of jihadism in europe is part of erdogans dreams of the new ottomaniac empire chalifate….at least where i come from. just like the war in libya, the war in armenia, the massive invasion against the armed forces and the police in the borders of greece by raging immigrants who want us to import their rage and hate against the west…. the islamic state and the war in syria and iraq was funded from and through turkey, the interantional jihadists just had to reach turkey and then naturally join isis, the wounded from isis fighters were transported to turkish hospitals, turkey was found by police to smuggle weapons through to isis with their armed forces involved… much more that i found out back then and determined since 2015 that the neo ottomaniac ambitions of erdogan were put to a start there….. isis is nothing more than mercenaries of the new ottomaniac empire chalifate….
PRCS says
While I voted for Trump–because voting for HER would have exceeded my tolerance for pain–only a fool would have believed claims that his administration destroyed/wiped-out/eliminated the Islamic State.
That nonsense highlighted our government’s ignorance of Islam: what it teaches and its ultimate goal of subjugating all mankind under the hegemony of Islamic law.
Infidel says
One of the reasons given by the generals and the neocons was that we couldn’t leave Syria or Iraq b’cos ISIL was still around. Quantitatively, they were down by 90%, but the troops that stayed on finished another 9%
The Islamic State – dropping the Iraq/Syria or the Iraq/Levant extensions – did spread to other places, just like the Chinavirus spread everywhere. It first leapfrogged into Afghanistan and started becoming a power challenger to the Taliban, and then, they also set up shop in Bangladesh, which they use as a forwarding base against India. So yeah, this jihadist group is very much alive, just not so much in Iraq/Syria
There are also affiliate groups, such as Boko Haram, Abu Sayyaf, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, that consider the Islamic State as their mentors. Not to mention all the kids online in the west who’re ‘inspired’ to convert to islam and either run over pedestrians wherever they live, or trek over to dar ul islam to join some jihad campaign there
Raja says
Infidel,
ISIS can never be eradicated as it is a disease that is in the minds of Muslims, who are hell bent on converting the world to Islam. They have states like Turkey, Iraq on their side, besides countless Muslims who feel obliged to be part of ISIS as it is a torchbearer of Jihad the so called holy war of Islam.. Never mind if they butcher small children, women and other hapless minority groups.
It is not that only the Palestinians are “at war” or Jihad with Israel, the entire Islamic world is at loggerheads with the kafirs.
Whoever spoke or wrote about clash of civilization has not known the nature of Islam and the attributes of devil, who was referred to by Jesus during his days on earth.. It is Islam that is at constant declared or undeclared war, as it cannot accommodate any “other”, being “superior than others”
The world leaders have a greater mental disorder not to recognize the savagery and oppression of Islam
Infidel says
Okay, you’re talking about ISIS as plain islam. I was thinking rather more specifically about the ‘caliphate’ formerly based in Raqqa, and now w/ an unknown center, but which has branches spread out in various countries
But let alone Trump, none of the neocons who wanted us to be in the Middle East forever ever recommended that islam be wiped out if one is to end terrorism. Which is why the scope of his defined mission was the ‘Islamic State’, rather than islam itself. Since it was never officially the latter, it made sense that we withdrew from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan
gravenimage says
We *did* wipe out the Islamic State as a territorial entity–a good thing–but of course we did not wipe out ISIS entirely. And it can always come back. The problem is that so many Muslims want a new Caliphate.
gravenimage says
ISIS has estimated $100 million in cash reserves, relies on money transfers from supporters in Turkey and Iraq
……………….
That ISIS is supported by hordes of “ordinary” Muslims should surprise no one–the Islamic State practices orthodox Islam.
John Forbes says
ISIS is the real face of Islam anyway! Why be suprized ? 1400 years of attacking KAFIRS & things will change because they have moved to the WEST? FAIRYTALES & our so called Leaders are so FRIGHTENED that they ban any discussion about Islam & are looking at BLASPHEMY laws! We live in an age in which there is an ISLAMIC POPE & where the West is led by utter COWARDS!