Bartamaha:Nairobi-According to officials there has been a major decline in the ranks of the al-Qaeda, and along with the decline in the numbers comes the reduction in finances. On the other hand though there hasn’t been a decrease in the Taliban dedication, or funding.

How A Terrorism Organization Is Funded.

Intelligence reports show that the Taliban use the lucrative drug trade and black market in Afghanistan. As the worlds largest producer of Opium (90% of world market) a large amount of cash is to be had in this industry. Also notable is the fact that poppy cultivation has decreased over the last two years, but it will remain steady this year.
al-Qaeda shouldn’t be dismissed lightly either. They still have a respectable network of donors, but with funding getting lean, the outer cells that weren’t getting the needed money, so they have started their own independent campaigns locally to increase their coffers. Currently both groups are funneling an incredible amount of money through offshore accounts, Pakistan, and Hawala money brokering.

Sending The Treasury Dept. After Terrorists.

In a statement made Wednesday, David Cohen, assistant secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence said that they will dispatch more agents to assist the staff that is already there.Presently there are only 12 or so agents in the region, and the amount of people that would be sent wasn’t disclosed. The new staff would be tasked with locating money laundering, cell phone transfers, and drug trafficking. They would be working along side intelligence agency, military and DEA personnel.

Other aids in this effort to close terrorist funding include additional staff in Washington D.C., and the buildup of troops over the next several months that the Pentagon has planned. One result of these efforts in the past can be seen in an increase in kidnappings and hijackings presently being felt in Somalia coming from the al-Shabib network, which is related to al-Qaida.

Source: America News Online.

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