ISIS remains the best-funded, best-equipped terrorist organization the world has ever seen. But for the first time since its rise in 2014, real progress is being made against the jihadist group. These five facts explain what you need to know.
1. Finances
ISIS has been an economic juggernaut from the moment it seized Mosul. When the group captured its first wave of Iraqi cities in 2014, it also seized an estimated $700 million in cash, instantly transforming this al-Qaeda offshoot into the world’s richest terrorist organization. By year’s end, ISIS controlled more than $2 trillion in assets and had another $2.9 billion in annual income. Today, ISIS has two main sources of revenue: oil and taxes.
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