WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein — This week, US media reported that the Islamic State was earning monthly oil revenues of up to $50 million.
The State Department disputed the reports, stating that the Islamic State's oil revenues had declined to $40 million before recent US strikes on the terrorist group’s oil infrastructure.
"From the information the Coalition has been able to gather over the last several months on ISIL [Islamic State] operations, especially from the raid on the Abu Sayyaf compound in Syria in May, the coalition has increased its focus on targeting ISIL’s oil infrastructure," the official told Sputnik on Thursday.
Since the Abu Sayyaf raid, the United States has targeted dozens of Islamic State oil infrastructure sites, including a successful October strike on the Omar oil field in Syria, according to the State Department.
"We believe this will overtime hinder ISIL’s [Islamic State’s] ability get oil out of the ground, and to sell and transport it," the State Department official said about the recent US strikes.
In February, the Department of Defense claimed that oil was no longer the primary source of revenue for the Islamic State.
Earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter noted that the United States and its coalition partners would be conducting additional raids against Islamic State sites, especially because of the intelligence collected during such operations.
