UN investigators believe they are close to finding ISIS's $50 million war chest after uncovering leads in the terror group's “inner workings" that point to camps housing its fighters.
Unitad, the UN body investigating atrocities carried out by ISIS, has discovered evidence identifying the “core department” of the ISIS financial system.
The investigation team, led by Germany's former war crimes prosecutor Christian Ritscher, has been examining more than two million pieces of data from mobile phones left in mass graves in Iraq.
It has been working to find evidence to prosecute ISIS for its genocide campaign against the Yazidi people and has found more than 200 mass graves containing about 12,000 victims.
In its latest report, Unitad revealed it has uncovered ISIS's financial trail.
“The team has focused its financial investigations on Bayt Al Mal (House of Money) — the central ISIS treasury and the core department responsible for the collection, storage, management and movement of its wealth,” Mr Ritscher said.
“Through this work, the team has uncovered evidence detailing the internal administrative functioning of Bayt Al Mal and how the actions of this department directly supported the ability of ISIS to carry out war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
“This line of inquiry has further revealed that a network of senior ISIS leadership also acted as trusted financiers, diverting wealth generated through acts of pillage, targeting a range of ethnic and religious minorities across Iraq through theft and obfuscation of property, and aiding and abetting the commission of the crime against humanity of persecution.”
Former British ambassador and leading UN terrorism monitor Edmund Fitton-Brown says the treasury has depleted since the terror's groups peak.
He says although reserves have dropped to about $50m, investigators have noticed money going through the camps.
“An enduring concern are the thousands of ISIS fighters and their family members who remain in detention or in displaced persons camps,” he said.
“Financial flows in and out of these facilities suggest that the risk of terrorism financing remains high.”
Al Hol and Al Roj, the camps run by Syrian-Kurdish forces, presently hold more than 60,000 people, two thirds of them children, who are family members associated with ISIS.
Mr Ritscher says evidence linking some “businesses owners and operators” to ISIS financial flows has been submitted to authorities in Iraq.
Director of the Counter Extremism Project Hans-Jakob Schindler, who worked in the UN Security Council unit that monitors ISIS and Al Qaeda, told The National he believes the terror group's treasury structure still exists despite having diminished.
“During the existence of the ISIS's physical caliphate, there was of course a whole administrative structure dealing with money coming in and being spent by the organisation,” he said.
“This structure had overlapping responsibilities to ensure that money was not stolen from the organisation. Despite this, some ISIS leaders had actually managed to get some money out of the treasury for themselves.
“Therefore, it seems very likely that ISIS maintains some organised central structure that deals with money even now that the physical side of things is no longer existing. As pointed out by the UN Security Council's monitoring team, the organisation continues to have quite substantial assets and therefore it will need some organisational framework to ensure that these assets are protected and managed.”
Mr Schindler said there are still financial flows into the camps containing ISIS fighters and their families from supporters outside the camps that is then handed over to the terror group.
“This is of course not a massive amount of income for ISIS but it is one of the financial streams that it still has,” he said.
“Furthermore, the various affiliates of ISIS outside Iraq and Syria have developed their own income streams to finance their respective operations.”
Mr Ritscher says Unitad has also reached a “potential turning point” in its efforts to deliver justice for the victims of ISIS crimes and it is now possible to envision a new landscape where criminals who previously believed themselves to be out of reach of justice could be held accountable in a court of law.
“If we strengthen our unity in addressing the inherent challenges that the scale of ISIS criminality presents, I believe we have the opportunity to turn the tide from impunity to justice”, he said.
Unitad's work in Iraq has now found evidence linking more than 350 ISIS fighters to war crimes.
The unit has been training Iraqi investigative judges in developing case files for the prosecution of ISIS members for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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Afcon 2019
SEMI-FINALS
Senegal v Tunisia, 8pm
Algeria v Nigeria, 11pm
Matches are live on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
Results
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Ziyadd, Richard Mullen (jockey), Jean de Roualle (trainer).
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
Winner: Secret Advisor, Tadhg O’Shea, Charlie Appleby.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Plata O Plomo, Carlos Lopez, Susanne Berneklint.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
