The Islamic State jihadist group is examining ways to increase revenue from taxation, smuggling antiquities 'and potentially kidnap for ransom' after it had lost parts of the territory it controlled and oil revenue following the destruction of important oil facilities.
The information was made public by the chair of the U.N. committee monitoring sanctions against the militant group and al-Qaida said Wednesday, Global News reports.
New Zealand's Ambassador to the UNGerard van Bohemen told the body's Security Council that the Islamic State is not lacking weapons or fighters.
While recent reports show the flow of recruits is decreasing, he said, 'estimates suggest that upwards of 30,000 foreign terrorist fighters have traveled to Iraq and Syria to date.'
Van Bohemen said the threat from the Islamic State is also spreading geographically, and as pressure increases on its territory in Iraq and Syria, foreign fighters are seeking to return home.
According to the UN ambassador, the situation poses a challenge because while some returning fighters are disillusioned 'others return radicalized, battle-hardened and well-networked' and present a serious risk to the international community as they can connect with local al-Qaida affiliates to carry out terror attacks.
"Their capacity to initiate complex attacks at great speed is already becoming a reality," van Bohemen said.
"ISIL affiliates in Libya, Afghanistan and Yemen are steadily gaining a foothold and becoming increasingly important to the survival of ISIL," he said, and as pressure grows on its territory in Iraq and Syria 'it is expected ISIL will look to move funds to these affiliates, including through the use of informal money transfers'.