Watch coalition airstrikes obliterate 2 ISIS financial-storage centers holding hundreds of millions of dollars
YouTube/CJTF Operation Inherent Resolve
The anti-ISIS coalition carried out two major strikes against ISIS last week that targeted the group's financial and cash-distribution centers in Iraq. The strikes are thought to have destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars in the terror group's control.
Speaking to ABC, an unnamed US official said that the amount of money destroyed could be in “the high hundreds of millions of dollars."
The US military released two videos it said showed coalition airstrikes obliterating an ISIS bulk-cash storage and tax-collection headquarters and a second cash-storage facility. Both locations were in the vicinity of Mosul, Iraq, the largest city held by ISIS, which is also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh.
The goal of the airstrikes, according to the coalition, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, was to disrupt ISIS' operational abilities.
"The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the Daesh terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community," the task force wrote on YouTube. "The destruction of Daesh targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations."
Col. Steve Warren, the military spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, told reports on Wednesday that the strikes likely destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars being used by ISIS in addition to 20 kilograms of gold.
“It's a significant amount of cash that we believe was in those various collection points before we struck them,” Warren told reporters.
Both strikes occurred on Saturday. The strikes were part of numerous airstrikes against ISIS by the coalition in both Iraq and Syria. Other targets hit included ISIS fighting positions and weapons caches in Iraq and an ISIS tunnel and tactical unit in Syria.
The strikes come amid a wider US operation to target the militant group's finances. Earlier this month, the US targeted ISIS oil and gas facilities to undermine the group's ability for self-funding.
Below are GIFs depicting the 2 strikes on Saturday:
You can also watch the airstrikes below:
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