TURKEY - Putin, yesterday Monday, November 16 dropped the shocking information at the G20 meeting in Turkey where the fight against Islamic State topped
the discussion. The Russian President alleged that the dreaded Islamic State
(ISIS) is being financed by 40 countries which included some members of the G20
countries.
Speaking at the meeting, Putin said he had shared
intelligence with the other G20 member states, which reveals that ISIS finances
the majority of its terrorist activities with support from these countries and
that, surprisingly, the countries include a number of G20 countries.
He said,
“I provided examples based on our data on the financing of different Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) units by private individuals. This money, as we have established, comes from 40 countries and there are some of the G20 members among them.
“I’ve shown our colleagues photos taken from space and from aircraft which clearly demonstrate the scale of the illegal trade in oil and petroleum products. The motorcade of refuelling vehicles stretched for dozens of kilometres, so that from a height of 4,000 to 5,000 metres they stretch beyond the horizon.”
According to Iraqi intelligence and U.S. officials, ISIS
makes about $50 million a month from selling crude from captured oilfields in
Iraq and Syria. A report by Business Insider said: “Oil sales — the extremists’
largest single source of continual income — are a key reason they have been
able to maintain their rule over their self-declared “caliphate” stretching
across large parts of Syria and Iraq.
“With the funds to rebuild infrastructure and provide the largesse that shore up its fighters’ loyalty, it has been able to withstand ground fighting against its opponents and more than a year of bombardment in the U.S.-led air campaign.
“Some armed opposition groups consider it possible to begin active operations against IS with Russia’s support. And we are ready to provide such support from the air. If it happens it could become a good basis for the subsequent work on a political settlement. We really need support from the US, European nations, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran. We will keep you updated if/when the names of the ISIS supporting states are leaked,” Putin said.
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