“We estimate in the millions of dollars… from all their illicit stuff: oil, looting, extortion”, a USA defense official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
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In July, NBC News reported that the Islamic fanatics were making three times as much from oil smuggling as USA officials previously thought, roughly $8 million to $10 million a month.
USA special forces killed Abu Sayyaf, a man believed the terrorist group’s main financial manager, in a raid in Syria.
The US-led coalition started attacking oil trucks used to smuggle stolen crude oil and other non-military targets with the goal of undermining IS resources.
Footage from inside a damaged apartment building suggested civilian areas had also been hit.
Officials would not say how the U.S. learned of the location.
Lieutenant Commander Ben Tisdale said in a statement: “The bulk cash distribution site was used by [ISIS] to distribute money to fund terrorist activities”.
Because civilians were nearby during the daylight hours, and IS personnel were working there at night, the decision was made to strike at dawn on Sunday.
Stringer/ReutersSmoke rose from a Shiite mosque after it was destroyed in a bomb attack by militants of the Islamic State in Mosul, Iraq, in 2014.
United States warplanes have been pounding ISIL targets in Iraq.
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In recent weeks, the US has said it will assess all targets on a case-by-case basis and may be more willing to tolerate civilians casualties for more significant targets.
