Bombing Raids by US Blows up ‘Millions’ in Bank of ISIS in Mosul

Bombing Raids by US Blows up ‘Millions’ in Bank of ISIS in Mosul
Tue Jan 12, 2016 15:14:26

A US airstrike has destroyed an ISIS building which contained huge amounts of cash it used to pay its fighters, defense officials have said.

They said 'millions' of the terror group's money was blown up on Sunday, without disclosing the exact amount or what currency it was.

After the successful strike in the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, Iraq, the U.S. is now said to be planning to bomb more 'financial targets' to cut off its ability to function as a state.

The U.S. considers Mosul, where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made one of his few public statements to declare its so-called caliphate, as a very sensitive target because extremists mingle with civilians.

Aircraft and drones were deployed to watch the site for days after they were tipped off about an ISIS 'cash collection and distribution point' to avoid civilian casualties, officials told CNN.

A decision was made to strike the site at dawn on Sunday because ISIS fighters were working there overnight, and too many locals were nearby during the day.

U.S. commanders are said to have been willing to risk 50 civilian casualties due to the importance of the target.

Between five and seven people were killed in the attack, according to CNN, which did not disclose whether any civilians were harmed.

ISIS released an hour long propaganda video showing off its very own currency, in the form of small gold coins, in August.

The video, thought to have been shot in Mosul, showed gold, silver and copper coins being smelted. It is not known whether that same factory was hit by U.S. warplanes this weekend.

Despite glorifying their new currency, ISIS is still believed to use U.S. dollars and local currency to pay its fighters.

In the same video, the terror group claimed its 21-carat gold coin would weigh 4.25g and be worth around $139.

It also claimed the coin, which could never be used outside ISIS territory, would never lose its value.

In reality, residents in Mosul, Iraq's second city, have routinely complained about food shortages since the arrival of ISIS in June 2014.

Iraq vowed to use the recapture of the ISIS held city of Ramadi, just 60 miles west of Baghdad, as a launchpad to retake the Nineveh province, Daily Mail reported.

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