Oil Is Becoming A Vital Source Of Funds For The Growth Of The Islamic State

Map: Iraqi oil fields in and around territory controlled by the Islamic State.

Islamic State Fighters Drawing On Oil Assets For Funding And Fuel -- Washington Post

Oil has helped fund and fuel the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, with small amounts coming from fields in northern Iraq and being smuggled across the borders in tanker trucks. A tiny drop in the sea of petroleum globally, the oil tapped by the Islamic State has given it a revenue source most extremist groups lack.

But the oil installations and tanker trucks could be targets for the U.S.-led coalition that hopes to cripple the self-proclaimed caliphate. And the poor quality of crude oil in northern Iraqi fields and the steep cost of smuggling probably limited earnings to $1 million a day over the summer, according to oil industry sources.

Recent counteroffensives, international sanctions and crackdowns on smuggling might have reduced that figure to as little as $250,000 a day, according to Ben Lando, editor in chief of the Iraq Oil Report. So far, the Pentagon says, U.S. airstrikes have not targeted any oil installations or transportation.

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My Comment: I say bomb these crude oil installations, tankers, and pipelines .... but for some reason the decision has been made not to do so.