First, something for Friday: Online Group Anonymous Declares Friday 'ISIS Trolling Day'
Now, slight departure from cyber but let's look at the business and leadership perspective:
Out with the
old, Al-Qaeda, and in with the new (Millennials), Islamic State. Arabian Gulf donors are not the principle source
any longer, but by diversification through oil fields, mineral mines, and territory
banks. The regime pays soldiers $400 -
$1200 per month based on technical and engineering skills and provides bonuses
for recruiting wives and children – almost parallels corporate / democratic way,
right.
The Islamic
State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) has dominated territories unmanageable by
others but of course, rich minerals mines that account for $360 million in
funding for 2014. In that effort, taxing
the 8 million living and working civilians and services/medication in the
compound. Of course, extortion is part
of the equation too, from taxing elementary to college students; and bribery for
passing through territories. Better yet,
the Iraqi government is even taxed… and numbers are said to be even higher for
2015, estimating $800 million.
Even without
the oiling expertise and equipment, ISIS produced $500 million in oil production/profit
from hijacking oil wells and refineries.
While sanctions didn’t help, they were still agile to still sell oil for
one-fourth of the market price – to friends and foes alike, e.g. US-backed
Syrian rebels to fuel their diesel engineers. Of course, these efforts have been seriously
hampered in the US earlier and allies bombing efforts (some via drones recently);
post Paris attack coalition bombing of nearly 400 oil tanker trunks and storage
tanks; but recently Russian lead bombing campaign.
With any
territory takeover, the state banks get looted to the tune of $450
million in cash plus gold taken from a Mosul central back last year (and in
which the same invasion, freed up almost 1,000 inmates from a prison and seizure
of US-supplied military hardware). The
private banks however, are left in tacked so that clients still have the semblance
an institution, but back end taxes replaces.
Apparently, gold
is king. Part of the theory is that
trading, unlike paper currently, can’t be stop since it’s gold after all and
evade sanctions from other government.
However, it said to be more of a ploy and recruitment tactic than real
world economic power.
Finally, terrorists/terror
isn’t without kidnapping and ransom.
We’ve seen the beheading and while most states align with the UN
resolution not to payout, those who do (perhaps French, Italian and Spanish hostages
that were freed), account for $20 - $45 million. Yet, it’s local / civilian kidnapping also
pay ransom e.g. in some cases for not being Sunni Muslim, for example.
While some
would point to inequality for the ISIS buildup, judgment is still out since research
indicate poor as well as rich people are susceptible or likely to join, level of
education doesn’t seem to factor or be an influencer; so maybe it’s simply
ideology. This is already a departure from
our norm so let’s bring it back a bit.
There are
counterintelligence officials and cyber specialist monitoring the Internet
airwaves as they were able to arrest over a dozen terror suspects related to a Twitter
account that had been intercepted by Ghost Security Group. “…DigitaShadow says Ghost Security Group has taken down 149 Islamic State
propaganda sites, 110,000 social media accounts, and over 6,000 propaganda
videos since it formed”.
Other efforts, such as Telegram messaging app blocked 78 ISIS-related
channels across 12 languages…
Article source: money.ccn.com
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