The infamy we attribute to terrorist groups
defined as being volatile, barbaric, and
immeasurably reckless certainly rings true.
However, it isn’t as popularly considered
that in addition to these adjectives,
terrorism, like any other form of organized
crime, is also highly strategic, deliberate,
and calculative. Much of the strength of
terrorist organizations lies in the
interdependency they create between
themselves and the region in which they
operate. Economic interdependency in
particular is what makes these forces of
violence and hate so difficult to combat;
they become embedded in a region and the
spoils of their crimes – literally the profits
gained from acts of terrorism – are gained
through the tactical victimization of large
populations and local institutions.
There is great power in dirty money. Much
of what’s secured the reign of terror these
extremist and murderous contingents have
executed for years is the huge profits their
crimes rake in. Extortion, assassination,
kidnapping, human trafficking,
counterfeiting, and drug trade (to name a
few of their criminal activities) amount to a
considerable amount of cash. This in many
ways marks terrorism as being in fact a
business, and a successful one at that.
Several of the most infamous names in
terrorism that we’ve come to learn about in
recent years have maintained their high-
stakes game of power through being
strongly financially supported. Multimillion
dollar donations to terrorist groups by other
terrorist organizations, sympathizing
political parties, and even governments
themselves are not unheard of and if it’s
not the profit gained from theft and murder
that’s to be had, it’s the financial support
procured from affiliates that maintain
terrorism as a moneymaking enterprise.
‘Money makes the world go round’ by
making its rounds around the world. When
we consider how ill gotten cash circulates
and becomes recycled into the community
from which it’s profited (and inevitably the
rest of the world amidst growing
globalization), it’s well understood that the
cost of crime is a higher tax than we can
continue to afford.
With that said, it becomes a point of
interest to learn which terrorist groups
profit the most from their crimes against
humanity. Of course, it’s difficult to trace
sums of money that aren’t meant to be
traced, and for this reason, most of the
dollar sums we hear of are estimates when
it comes to documenting the richest
terrorist groups. Nonetheless, we’ve ranked
some of the wealthiest terrorist
organizations out there, according to
educated estimates reported in the media,
bringing to light the dark reality of the
profits they’ve reaped at the expense of
other people’s lives.

Here they come

1. The ISIS($2 BILLION)
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, more
commonly known as ISIS – which was once
a part of Al Qaeda – has been dubbed the
richest terrorist group to date. The jihadist
militant group has recently made headlines
after one of their most prominent leaders
(who was captured by Iraqi officials) spilled
the secrets of their exploits and uncovered
the grim reality of their obscene wealth.
ISIS is worth an estimated $2 billion, much
of this money coming from looted weapons
and bank robberies. Having stripped a
broken Syria of its oil reserves and even
priceless artifacts from archaeological sites,
ISIS has secured an enormous wealth from
crime. The group comprised of thousands of
members is still a very active threat, having
killed thousands of civilians and
government agents and still running
rampant within a highly sophisticated
infrastructure. They are, it is believed, the
richest terrorist organisation in the world
today by a large margin.

2. IRA: Over $450 million
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) has been
dubbed one of the more prominent
professional money laundering
organizations in Europe. Originating as a
revolutionary group fighting for Irish
independence from Britain, the IRA fought
for political control for several decades.
They are considered a terrorist group due to
countless bombings and assassinations
attributed to them during the revolt against
imposing British rule in Ireland. They now
own numerous small businesses throughout
the UK and allegedly use the profits to fuel
their criminal acts, according to Ireland’s
organized crime task-force. The IRA also
builds significant revenue through drugs,
tax fraud, robberies, smuggling and
counterfeiting.
In 2013, the Irish Independent reported that
the IRA were connected to the Italian mafia
to the tune of 450 million euro in property
assets – this is only one link that has been
made public, and prompts theorizing as to
the groups further mafia links both in Italy
and elsewhere. It has been estimated – as
per a 2005 Guardian report – that the IRA
have made the equivalent of $17 million
yearly in organised crime operations like
smuggling.
Since the ceasefire in Ireland as a result of
the Good Friday Agreement in 1999, the
group are officially decommissioned and in
2005 they announced an official end to
their campaign, but reports of illegal,
underground money-making activities
spearheaded by the group persist.

3. Taliban: Over $400 million
The infamous Taliban of Afghanistan
secures the obscenely profitable annual
revenue of over $400 million from expansive
drug trade, human trafficking, extortion, as
well as a large amount of donations from
foreign organizations that support their ill-
gotten empire. The Taliban are responsible
for a huge opium production operation in
Afghanistan that heavily contributes to an
estimated $70-$400 million that they rake
in annually from illicit drug trade alone.

4. Al-Qaeda: Over $100 million a
year
Founded by Osama Bin Ladin, the global
Islamist militant organization, Al-Qaeda, a
name which translates to ‘The Base” has
been around since the 1980s. Having
attacked several civilian and military
regions, Al-Qaeda is well known around the
world as one of the largest and deadliest
terrorist groups. Suicide bombings are
among their favorite tactics of destruction.
What makes this group such a tough force
to combat, is the fact that they have wide-
spread, terrorist group allies. Before their
9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in
New York City, the CIA estimated that Al-
Qaeda made well over $30 million a year,
raised mostly through donations; today,
that number has surely increased. Bin Ladin
was himself a multimillionaire at the time
he founded the organization and about
$10-15 million was reportedly paid
annually to the Taliban while he was leader.

5. FARC: $80-$350 million a
year
The Marxist guerrilla group, Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army
(FARC) has been around since the 1960’s.
They’ve been dubbed a terrorist threat in
their country due to the numerous
kidnappings, assassinations, and bombings
they’ve executed on Columbian citizens in
the name of anti-imperialism. Apart from
the money the make from collecting
ransoms and through extortion, FARC also
produces and sells vast quantities of illegal
drugs that further fuel their high annual
revenue.

6. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba: $100 million a year
The Lashkar E Taiba, who call like to call
themselves the “Army of The Righteous”,
was founded in the 1990′s. They’re a
militant group originating from Pakistan
who also wreak havoc on India.
Hypocritically enough, apart from raging
war and killing hundreds of civilians, they
also establish several charitable
organizations in Pakistan, like hospitals and
schools. Regardless, their extremist ideals
and murderous ways of executing them
render them a deadly threat. Their annual
revenue is estimated to be around $100
million, much of which is funded through
donations from affiliate parties.

And how very own...

7. Boko Haram: Over $70 million
The Boko Haram are a Nigerian terrorist
group who fight to overthrow the Nigerian
government in order to implement an
Islamist regime. They have bombed UN
headquarters and most recently abducted
over 200 Nigerian school girls in defense of
their namesake “Western Education is Sin”.
Since they’ve remained off the radar since
their recent attacks, it’s unclear just how
much money they make from their
numerous kidnappings and the subsequent
ransoms they procure. It has been
determined, however, that between
2006-2011, they collected over $70 million.

Source: http://m..com/app/see-the-7-world-richest-terrorist-group/3455733/36/

awon werey!!! smh

Hmm

religion inspired groups