Wednesday, January 20, 2016

ISIS cuts salaries due to 'exceptional circumstances

8:51:00 PM By

   
ISIS has allegedly cut its fighters' salaries by as much as 50 percent, according to newly-leaked internal documents from the jihadist group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq.
The documents, obtained and translated by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a research fellow at the Middle East Forum who studies the Islamic State, showed the salaries were halved at the end of last year.
"So on account of the exceptional circumstances the Islamic State is facing, it has been decided to reduce the salaries that are paid to all mujahideen by half, and it is not allowed for anyone to be exempted from this decision, whatever his position. Let it be known that work will continue to distribute provisions twice every month as usual," reads the document.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the cuts were directed primarily at fighters in the city of Al-Raqqa, the de facto base of the Islamic State. 
The Observatory added on its website that the decision had apparently stirred feelings of resentment among the Syrian militants, who believe their salaries have been cut in order to increase foreign fighters' salaries, who are already paid double.
ISIS soldiers earn between $400 and $1,200 a month, plus a $50 stipend for their wives and $25 for each child, according to theCongressional Research Service.
The salary cuts mean Syrian ISIS fighters would see their salaries drop to about $200 a month, according to Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Foreign fighters would have their monthly income reduced to $400, Abdel Rahman told AFP.
The Islamic State approved a $2 billion dollar budget for the year in early 2015, including a projected $250 million dollar surplus, designed to cover the costs of operations in both Iraq and Syria, according to the Congressional Research Service. However, it is difficult to know if the terrorist organization actually had the budget.

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