Financing terror/ Maintaining terrorists military buildup

ISIS announced the gradual resumption of production at a number of plants in the provinces of Al-Anbar and Mosul in western and northern Iraq respectively (Al-Arabi al-Jadeed, January 11, 2015). Resumption of work in factories whose operation was terminated due to the fighting was part of ISIS’s efforts to revive the economy in areas that it has taken over, restore the daily routine and establish its control.

According to UPI, ISIS is expected to have a budget surplus of USD 250 million in 2014, out of its overall annual budget of USD 2 billion. ISIS plans to invest its budget surpluses in military activity in 2015. The budget includes assistance to the poor, the disabled and families of those killed in airstrikes (UPI, January 4, 2015).

Today, ISIS is an economically independent terrorist organization and does not rely on outside contributions. It owns assets whose value was estimated in mid-2014 at approximately USD 1.3-2 billion.

The conduct of the Islamic State