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UN: Islamic State Paid Up To $45 Million In Ransom


A UN expert monitoring sanctions against Al-Qaeda says the Islamic State militant group has received between $35 million and $45 million in ransom payments in the past year.

On November 24, Yotsna Lalji told a meeting of the UN Security Council's Counterterrorism Committee that an estimated $120 million in ransom was paid to terrorist groups between 2004 and 2012.

She said in recent years Al-Qaeda and its affiliates have made kidnapping "the core Al-Qaeda tactic for generating revenue."

She highlighted an October 2012 recording from Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri inciting militants worldwide to kidnap Westerners.

Based on reporting by AP

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