WASHINGTON: A US-led coalition air strike destroyed a fleet of 168 oil tankers being used by the Islamic State group to ferry illicit fuel in Syria, the coalition said Friday.
Thursday’s strike occurred near the ancient desert city of Palmyra.
The coalition said it is systematically targeting the oil infrastructure used by IS, and Thursday’s strike resulted in estimated lost revenue of more than $2 million.
“Stopping or severely hampering (IS) cash flow degrades their ability to fund the war effort in Iraq and Syria and terrorist attacks around the world,” the coalition said in a statement.
IS took Palmyra in May last year, and systematically destroyed temples and tower tombs at the town’s UNESCO World Heritage site, before being pushed out by government forces.
Strikes on IS oil enterprises occur under Operation Tidal Wave II, named after a World War II mission to bomb oil refineries.
