North-Press Agency
Dr. Ahmed Youssef
ISIS revenues deterioration
As a result of the decline of ISIS's geographical control after its collapse in the Battle of Kobani on January 26, 2015, and its gradual decline in force in the face of strikes by the SDF and the US-led global coalition. The expected sources of funding for ISIS operations on the ground have begun to decline significantly as a result of the loss of many border-crossings, particularly Tal Abyad crossing with Turkey; as well as cement factories and energy sources, and the decline in the population number under its control, which has reduced the contribution of extortion to the formation of ISIS revenues.
The amount of funds received from ISIS funding sources declined during 2014 and 2015, where the revenues of the group fell from $2,900 million in 2014, which is the peak year of ISIS control over the geographical areas and funding sources to $2,435 million in 2015.
The following Table shows the decline in lSIS's revenues during the two years.
Table (6)
Source: Prepared by the researcher depending on:
– Laurence Bindner and Gabriel Poirot, ISIS Financing in 2015, May 2016,Report Prepared in Center for the Analysis of Terrorism p:
According to Table (6) we find out that ISIS's revenue declined in all sources during 2014 and 2015 except extortion, which increased by 67%, increasing from 360 million to $600 million.
When ISIS saw the decline of its sources of funding and the trend towards a decline that will inevitably cause its total collapse, it increased its pressure on the inhabitants of its held-areas in an attempt to preserve its terrorist entity.
ISIS lost most of the resources that were a source of its budget after its collapse in the Battle of al-Baghouz; however, some sources of funding weren’t related to the geographical control such as donations, and to some extent kidnapping, ransom, and proxy terrorist operations. This imposes a set of measures that limits ISIS ability to secure sources of funding. The most important thing to suggest here is:
1- Continue to provide support for the SDF as the force that has managed to defeat ISIS on the ground.
2- Follow up on the role of forces, states, companies, organizations and individuals who are expected to communicate with ISIS and apply laws and anti-terrorism legislations against them.
3. Support of the Autonomous Administration efforts to stabilize areas liberated from ISIS control to ensure it does not return, and this requires an international recognition of the Autonomous Administration for ease of dealing with it.
4- Conducting trials of ISIS members by special courts such as the Former Yugoslavia International Tribunal and the International Special Tribunal of Rwanda on the territories where ISIS has fallen, which is currently the geography of north and eastern Syria.
5- Suppressing the financing of terrorism by ensuring that the terrorist group does not have access to the international financial system, and by ensuring that donations are criminalized and preventing ransom.
6- International cooperation to change the behavior of individuals characterized by extremism, using scientific methods that lead to the development of the idea of coexistence between nations and ethnicities.
7- Expanding the fight against ISIS on the ground in all areas where it is present.
