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Russia unveils schemes of Islamic State’s oil supplies to Turkey to UN

A range of Turkish companies, including Serii in Konya and Sam Otomotiv in Antakya, are involved in the supplies for the Islamic State group

UNITED NATIONS, December 18. /TASS/. The Islamic State terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) earns some $1.5 million a day from illicit exports of oil, with majority of energy resources sold via Turkey, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, has said.

The sales of hydrocarbons "have been organized with the mediation of shadow economic structures" and smugglers buy oil for cash in the extraction areas, the Russian diplomat told a meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday.

"They cross the borders freely and establish direct contacts with the leaders of the ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - the former name of IS) and agree on deals," Churkin said.

The IS group’s profits amount to $1.5 million per day, "with the majority of oil products sold via Turkey," he said. In most cases, oil is shipped by thousands of road tankers traveling through the checkpoints of Karkamis, Akcakale and others.

A range of Turkish companies, including Serii in Konya and Sam Otomotiv in Antakya, are involved in the supplies for the Islamic State group, Churkin told the meeting.

Russia’s airstrikes on the IS targets in Syria have significantly reduced the amounts of illicit exports of oil, he stressed. However, the terrorists use alternative sources of financing, including other natural resources, agriculture and industry, amounting to around $700 million per year.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Thursday obliging countries to curb financing and providing any other support for the IS group, Al-Qaeda and affiliated persons, groups, enterprises and organizations.