(Deutsche Welle) The war-chest of the "Islamic State" (IS) is enormous. According to Tom Keatinge from the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London (RUSI), the jihadis have amassed between $1 billion and $2 billion. The think tank Keatinge works for is primarily financed by the British Ministry of Defence.
"The money is coming from two main sources; one is the much reviewed oil trade, and then extortion it imposes on businesses and individuals in the territory it controls," Keatinge told DW. But IS's income from oil sales is far lower than was estimated this past summer.
"Two or three months ago, people were talking about $2 million or $3 million a day, but now the latest estimates say it's just $1 million a day."