According to recent counterterrorism funding reports from the US Department of Treasury, terrorist networks in the Middle East are growing in strength. Both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
(ISIS) have found financial backers and partners despite their denial of such claims.
This past year, Al Qaeda was "gaining strength in Afghanistan while continuing to operate with the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
under the Taliban’s protection." Financial guidance and armed fighters are among the resources and help they are providing to each other. The UN Security Council and the Department of Treasury have reported these movements even though the Taliban said it would break ties with Al Qaeda last February.
Meanwhile,
...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow...
ISIS has expanded its funding by using "logistical hubs in
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
" to move money around. Smugglers and money service businesses
...the hawala networks?
are used by ISIS to get the funds into areas such as Iraq and Syria. These millions of dollars come from "local donations, taxation, extortion, and some financial support from ISIS-core." according to US intelligence. This report is based on a recent Long War Journal article on Real Clear Defense, which adds:
Treasury estimates that the Islamic State (ISIS) “probably has as much as $100 million available in cash reserves dispersed across the region.” Since 2014, the U.S. government has designated “92 ISIS-associated individuals and organizations” as part of a global campaign to disrupt the group’s finances.