An exclusive video obtained by Sputnik shows secret underground repositories of black gold, which the terrorists were presumably forced to create to hide their stolen wealth from the anti-terrorist coalition.
The video reveals oil tanks with a capacity of several thousand metric tons dug several feet into the ground. In these makeshift underground shelters, the oil repositories would go unnoticed by the Iraqi military and reconnaissance aircraft.
Since 2015, Daesh's wealth in stolen natural resources in Syria and Iraq has been decimated, particularly following a concentrated campaign begun by Russian and Syrian air power to destroy smuggled oil heading for the Turkish border. In November 2015, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a major concentrated attack targeting oil tankers, destroying an estimated 1,000 oil tankers, as well as oil refineries and oil storage facilities in a five day campaign in northern and eastern Syria. The US-led coalition reported destroying another 280+ tankers later that month, with both sides launching further strikes.
Destruction of a terrorist-held oil refinery in Deri Ez-Zor province.
Daesh is now on the verge of defeat in both Syria and Iraq, its influence reduced dramatically amid separate major Syrian and Iraqi offensives to free their countries from the terrorists. Last week, Syrian forces announced that a patch of territory along the west bank of the Euphrates River is now the only area in Syria where the terrorist group remains operational.