Sure, Anonymous has declared war against ISIS, but it takes more than a team of hackers to concern the world's most violent extremist terrorist organization. The U.S. and its allies have intensified drone strikes against the group since devastating attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, and judging from footage released by the Department of Defense, the military is hitting ISIS where it hurts: In the wallet.
The footage is of an air raid on January 11 when two 2,000-pound bombs were dropped on an Islamic State cash and finance distribution center near Mosul, Iraq. Seconds after the massive explosion, squares of fluttering paper fill the sky: ISIS oil money going up in flames.
"It was a good strike," General Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command, told the New YorkDaily News. "We estimate that it served to deprive ISIL of millions of dollars. ISIL needs those funds to pay their fighters, to recruit new fighters and to conduct their various maligned activities."
According to CNN, the U.S. considered this target to be particularly sensitive due to large numbers of civilians living in close proximity to the building. Drones monitored the site for days to determine when the fewest number of people would be in the area, and the military finally decided to strike at dawn on Sunday when the building was mostly deserted. An initial post-attack assessment estimates five to seven people were killed.
