January 4, 2018 | FDD quoted by Wilson Center - Newsweek
ISIS was Defeated in Syria. Is that the end for the Islamists?
Islamist movements faced major reversals—both in stunning setbacks and unexpected gains—in 2017.
…
AQIM had vast resources. It made an estimated $100 million through kidnapping for ransom, drug smuggling, and levying taxes on local populations, according to a report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance. AQIM earned enough to sustain future operations in Algeria, Mali, Niger, and southwestern Libya.
…
Read the full article here.