Recent gains made by the U.S. and coalition forces against the Islamic State has forced the terror group to cut its fighters’ salaries in half, according to documents leaked form inside territory controlled by the group.
The terror organization operates as a government over parts of Iraq and Syria, collecting taxes and handing out biweekly paychecks to its jihadist army.
Islamic State soldiers typically earn between $400 and $1,200 a month, plus a $50 stipend for their wives and $25 for each child, according to the Congressional research service.
However, in the wake of recent victories for the U.S.-led coalition, the Islamic State can’t afford to pay its soldiers at the same rate.
“On account of the exceptional circumstances the Islamic State is facing, it has been decided to reduce the salaries that are paid to all mujahideen by half, and it is not allowed for anyone to be exempted from this decision, whatever his position,” a memo leaked from inside the Islamic State government reads, CNN reported.
The Islamic State said it will continue to distribute the paychecks at a regular rate, but those payouts will be smaller than usual.
The terrorist organization makes most of its money by taxing the population in the areas it controls, but another major source of revenue is oil. The U.S. has recently turned its attention toward the black gold, conducting airstrikes on oil trucks, storage tanks, mobile refineries and other oil field equipment.
In early 2015, the Islamic State was making an estimated $40 million a month on oil alone. Now, according to the U.S. State Department, the terror group is making only a fraction of that.
U.S. airstrikes have also targeted Islamic State cash itself. Last week, U.S. military forced bombed a building in Mosul, Iraq, where the group was storing “millions” in cash.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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