USA TODAY
USA TODAY-Once famous for being the richest terrorist group in the world, the Islamic State, variously known as IS, ISIL and Daesh, now faces considerable money problems. Coalition airstrikes, economic downturns in both Iraq and Syria and historically low global oil prices have combined to hit the group where it hurts the most — the bottom line.
Coalition successes in countering ISIL financing owe primarily to two main efforts. The first is an air campaign against the group’s oil revenue named Operation Tidal Wave II. The campaign, which began last October, has starved ISIL of tens of millions of oil dollars it was making by controlling the majority of Syria’s oilfields. While Operation Tidal Wave II was not the first coalition effort to target ISIL oil, from which the group was making an estimated $50 million per month prior to the operation, the campaign has reduced ISIL oil revenue by an estimated 30% according to coalition estimates.