Combating Terrorist Financing: A Key Aspect of the War on Terrorism

How do terrorists get the money to carry out their operations? Generally, terrorist organizations participate in “money soiling” schemes where funds generated legally are used for illegal activites and “money laundering” operations where funds generated illegally are redistributed to make them look legal. These two main techniques, amongst others, make tracking and stopping terrorist finance difficult. In addition, the Internet and offshore banking make it even more difficult to monitor global finances. In addition, donations, hawalas, and criminal enterprises help fund terrorist organizations.

Childs, David. “Combating Terrorist Financing: A Key Aspect of the War on Terrorism”. Center for Defense Information. 20 May 2005. 2 August 2010. http://www.cdi.org/program/document.cfm?DocumentID=3024&StartRow=11&ListRows=10&&Orderby=D.DateLastUpdated&ProgramID=39&typeID=(8)&from_page=relateditems.cfm

Terrorism and Tobacco — How Cigarettes Finance Jihad and Insurgency Worldwide – MIPT

Many terrorist organizations illegally smuggle tobacco, namely cigarettes, to raise money for their operations. Among these organizations are: al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Taliban, the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Wilson, Kate. “Terrorism and Tobacco — How Cigarettes Finance Jihad and Insurgency Worldwide — MIPT”. Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. 29 June 2009. 2 August 2010. http://www.mipt.org/terrorism-and-tobacco-how-cigarettes-finance-jihad-and-insurgency-worldwide