Coalition-backed forces in Syria destroy IS narcotics stockpile worth $1.4M

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Syrian forces supported by the US-led coalition last week successfully destroyed a large cache of narcotics belonging to the Islamic State (IS), an official statement revealed on Monday.

The coalition’s partner force, Maghawir al-Thawra, seized a stockpile of drugs on May 31 during counter-IS operations within the 55km de-confliction zone near Syria’s al-Tanf.

The haul of narcotics is estimated to have a black market value of $1.4M, according to the coalition’s statement.

“Despite Da’esh's façade of Islamic purity, its criminal terrorists are known drug users and traffickers. The cache included more than 300,000 pills of Captagon, an illegal drug frequently trafficked and used by Da’esh members,” the coalition’s statement read, using the Arabic acronym for the group.

Captagon is a highly-addictive amphetamine-based drug, banned in most countries. It is informally referred to as the "jihadists' drug."

The coalition statement mentioned that the Maghawir al-Thawra forces actively patrol the al-Tanf de-confliction zone to prevent the IS attacks in the area.

The destruction of drugs, weapons, and other contraband is believed to reduce further IS’s ability to fund and launch operations in the region.

“Our dedicated partner forces are committed to the defeat-Da’esh mission,” said Maj. Gen. James Jarrard, commander of the Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve.

“This is another great example of their dedication and professionalism in the fight against Da’esh and in the protection of the people of southern Syria.”

Over the past few years, the jihadist group has lost control of large swaths of territories in Iraq and Syria. The group’s area of influence in the region continues to shrink as military operations against IS are still going strong.

Editing by Nadia Riva