How are the Taliban and ISIS financed?
By Dr. Mawlawi Burhanuddin Mohammadi
One of the most important similarities between the Taliban and ISIS is their economic systems and financing methods. These groups need stable financial resources to sustain their forces and propaganda structures. In this section, we will examine how the Taliban and ISIS managed the economies of war, jihad, and crime using similar methods but in different geographical contexts.
ISIS Funding Sources: Sharia Tax or Religious Extortion?
At the height of its power (2014-2017), ISIS controlled large parts of Iraq and Syria. In these lands, it created a quasi-state economic system.
First, the proposed religious taxes;
ISIS imposed various Islamic taxes on the population by force, such as zakat, khums, jizya, and ushr. These taxes were not used to achieve social justice, but rather to provide war resources and strengthen the self-proclaimed caliphate's structure.
Second, plundering and appropriating natural resources;
ISIS heavily exploited the oil of Syria and Iraq. They sold the oil cheaply to middlemen in the region, sometimes even to their enemies. In addition, banks, gold reserves, factories, and farms in the occupied territories were plundered. ISIS simply turned public property into a source of funding through theft.
Third, kidnapping and smuggling;
Another source of funding for ISIS was hostage taking and extortion. They kidnapped wealthy foreigners and received large sums of money in exchange for their freedom. ISIS was also involved in smuggling antiques, historical artifacts, and even human body parts.
Some of the Taliban's sources of funding are the drug mafia and local taxes.
Like ISIS, the Taliban maintains a religious and extremist economic structure in Afghanistan with its methods.
First, they imposed austerity, systematic corruption, and taxes on farmers, companies, and individuals. The Taliban group collected taxes called ushr, zakat, and khiraj in the areas under their control. However, these taxes, without any legal structure, were used solely to finance the war and cover the cost of maintaining soldiers. Telecom companies, truck drivers, shop owners, and even schools were also not far from paying taxes to the Taliban.
Second, the Taliban derives income from the cultivation and trade of drugs, gold, coal, gemstones, and especially opium. The Taliban used their complete control over border crossings as a tool to impose their desired tariffs.
According to the UN, the Taliban earn hundreds of millions of dollars annually from growing and exporting drugs. Taxing poppy cultivation, controlling smuggling routes, and taking money from smugglers have turned the Taliban into a regional mafia and an organized network. And now that they have taken control of Afghanistan, they are applying all these things to the people and continue to do so systematically.
Third, in terms of unofficial foreign aid, the Taliban group, like the ISIS group, has also benefited from covert foreign support. Financial donations from fundamentalist individuals and institutions in the countries of the region, as well as some charitable channels, have provided them with significant resources.
Key Similarities in the Jihadist Economy of the Taliban and ISIS
What these two extremist movements have in common is the abuse of religion and extortion to collect taxes from the people called "zakat" and "khums", which they spend on their military network. Focusing on illegal resources, drug trafficking, oil sales, and theft of state property as their main source of funding.
Both groups have a non-state but coherent structure, a network of tax collection, weapons storage, and distribution of money to commanders.
An economy that serves war, not welfare. All economic resources have been put to the service of war and propaganda, which have nothing to do with improving the lives of people or local development.
Considering the above, both the Taliban and ISIS have turned religion into an economic tool, with which, instead of helping the poor and oppressed, they collect money for war, propaganda, and the pursuit of power. Their use of Sharia taxes is a violation of Islamic law. Both groups have defined the economy not as a service to the people, but as a service for the survival of their violence.
