Seize the Means

Keval Bavishi, reporting from the CJTF-OIR(Combined Joint Task Force- Operation Inherent Resolve), pens down the discussion held in the council on strategies to bring a halt to the sources of income available to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The Committee convened for another session, as it set out to draft strategies to counter ISIS. The delegates had previously brought up the political support to the ISIS and their supply of arms. The Delegate of Malaysia brought up a motion to discuss the finances of the terrorist organization.

The Delegate went on to highlight the few factors that needed to be considered before drafting any plans of action. One of the first things brought up was the oil sales of ISIS and their hold over several oil fields. As per the delegate, ISIS makes a profit of around a million dollars a day, solely via oil barrels sales.

The point of oilfields was supported by various delegates, as the Belgian delegation highlighted the need to monitor the parties that purchase oil from the ISIS. According to the Delegate of the United Kingdom (UK) of Britain and Northern Ireland, companies need to be monitored. The Delegate cited the example of a recent French company which was found guilty of engaging in trade with the ISIS. The French delegation assured the committee that strict action shall be taken against the company. The Delegate of Iraq brought into committee's attention the core sources of income for ISIS. The delegate stated three such reasons, sex slavery, prostitution, and oil sales. To that, the Delegate of Belgium added that extortion is also a significant source of income for the rogue group. The constant attacks on the medical aid trucks were also a concern for the council as a whole. Hence, they collectively agreed on boosting the security of the same.

The Delegate of NATO, though, differed in approach to counter the given issues. The delegate firmly believed there was a need for stepping up military efforts on field, as the delegate held the opinion that the chain of money will automatically break if they are taken down in combat.

While many delegates supported the idea of task force to track and monitor the ISIS accounts, the Delegate of Turkey did mention the need for including a strategy to counter bit-coin transactions.

By the end of the discussion, the committee had unanimously agreed on establishing a task force to monitor the finances of the ISIS. With another session coming to an end, the Phase IV seems to have started out on a hopeful note.