U.S.-led coalition warplanes have destroyed 168 Islamic State (IS) oil tanker trucks in Syria, in the largest strike of its kind, the coalition says.
The air strikes hit the truck fleet near Palmyra, Syria, said the coalition on December 9, which estimated their destruction cost the militant group about $2 million in revenues from lost fuel sales.
IS is believed to rely heavily on fuel sales to fund its attacks around the world. For that that reason, the coalition has been targeting oil infrastructure controlled by IS in Syria and Iraq.
U.S. officials say they have shifted from bombing oil fields controlled by IS to targeting energy infrastructure further up the production chain, including processing, storage, and transportation facilities.
That has increased the cost to IS of producing each barrel of oil, and has lengthened the amount of time it takes to get the oil to market, cutting into its profits.
"Stopping or severely hampering cash flow degrades their ability to fund the war effort in Iraq and Syria and terrorist attacks around the world," the coalition said.
U.S. Says Destroyed 168 IS Tankers With $2 Million In Fuel
U.S. officials say they have shifted from bombing oil fields controlled by IS to targeting energy infrastructure further up the production chain, including processing, storage, and transportation facilities.