of taking part in the ISIS oil trade. Russian officials released photographs showing thousands

of tanker trucks heading from ISIS controlled areas into Turkish territory. But Turkey’s

President has said these accusations are slanderous, and that he will resign if they are true.

So, what is going on? Is Turkey actually buying ISIS oil?

Well, obviously it’s a little complicated. Nearly half a billion dollars of oil are somehow

being smuggled out of the Islamic State according to the US Treasury Department. By the end

of 2014, ISIS was believed to control more than half of Syria’s oil fields, and several

more in Iraq. And in February 2015, it was estimated that roughly 45,000 barrels of oil

were being processed a day. So what happens to this oil?

According to Middle East energy analyst, David Butter, the oil is refined by paid engineers

while still on ISIS territory. These refineries have been the targets of recent airstrikes

by the United States, France,and others, which has cut down on potential oil revenue. But

once the oil is refined, it follows an existing oil smuggling network established by Saddam

Hussein in the early 1990s. At the time, Iraq was under UN sanctions, but relied on a quote

“shadow network” of smugglers running through Iraq into Turkey. These same routes

are believed to be utilized by ISIS, according to a former CIA counterterrorism officer,

by using Kurdish territory to move the oil West into Turkey.

Although it is difficult to determine where the oil ends up, it is believed to make a

stop in the city of Adana in southeast Turkey, which is home to what is called the BTC oil

pipeline. An analysis by the University of Greenwich looked at oil tanker rates rising

and falling at the pipeline’s oil terminal. These rates tended to spike during times when

ISIS would fight near oil producing regions, suggesting a link between ISIS oil production

and shipping rates in Turkey. The authors of the study are careful, however, not to

use this as evidence of the Turkish government’s role in the ISIS oil trade. And while most

of the actual buying and selling is believed to occur within Turkey, it is likely among

smaller, unaffiliated traders.

But what is perhaps more complicated is that Turkey’s President and his family are deeply

intertwined in the country’s state-owned energy services, including the oil port in

Adana. Turkish intelligence services have also been accused of using Adana to transfer

weapons disguised as humanitarian aid to terrorist cells in Syria in early 2014.

To what extent the Turkish government is involved in the potential sale of ISIS oil is unclear,

if at all. However, the lingering questions surrounding the shooting down of Russia’s

plane, coupled with a long history of politically suspicious behavior, suggests that Turkey

may not be as innocent as they claim.

But oil isn’t the only source of revenue ISIS sees. To find out how the terrorist group

makes their money, check out this video. Thanks for watching TestTube News, don’t forget

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