Ex-Daesh Financial Chief Reportedly Says Group's Income Reached $1.2Bln a Year in Most Active Years

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The income of Daesh* during the years of its intense activity reached over $1.2 billion per year, the organisation's former deputy and financial chief Sami Jasim al-Jaburi said, as quoted by the Iraqi judicial department's newspaper al-Qada on Wednesday.
Sputnik
In October, the Iraqi authorities announced the arrest of Jasim, who served as a deputy of late Daesh* leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Jasim was also close to the current Daesh* leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
"The income of the group during two years of my work in the department of resources (carrying out oil production in the occupied territories) reached more than 1.25 billion dollars per year, which were transferred to the treasury for use," Jasim said.
Jasim said the terrorists received their main income from oil smuggling. Oil products were offered to owners of small refineries and plants. The group also sold part of the oil to neighbouring countries. Another part was sold on the black market at $180 per tonne, he said.
Moreover, the fighters were reportedly engaged in robberies, thefts, collecting tribute from controlled territories and extortion.
“We took tribute from wealthy people, gas station owners, companies, traders and doctors under the pretext of helping the organization's fighters. Some wealthy people were killed for refusing to pay. We blew up the houses of others, kidnapped them or a member of their families. Tributes in Nineveh Governorate reached over 500,000 dollars per month. Half went to al-Baghdadi, and the other half was placed at the disposal of the governor of Nineveh," the newspaper quoted Jasim as saying.
The terrorist said that in 2016, after his appointment as the head of the group's financial department, the treasury had $250 million and 3 tonnes of gold. According to Jasim, Daesh* issued its own currency – pure gold coins. Daesh* fighters reportedly received over $30,000 for every car bomb used to attack the security forces, he added.
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In October 2019, then-President Donald Trump said that late Daesh* leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed himself during an operation by US special forces in Syria's Idlib. The American leader thanked Iraq, Russia, Syria and Turkey for assistance in this operation.
In November 2020, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Daesh* had intensified its activities in the country, including in Al Anbar, Kirkuk, Diyala, Nineveh governorates.
*Daesh (IS/ISIS/ISIL) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other countries.
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