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Following the money: How to prevent terrorist financing

Dismantling funding networks and cutting off the flow of money to terrorists requires immediate international agreements in spite of cultural and structural differences between countries willing to join efforts.
French Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve (R) and Prime Minister Manuel Valls leave after a ministerial meeting on financing terrorism at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, December 3, 2015.   REUTERS/Eric Gaillard  - RTX1X18S
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Fighting the war on terror requires an enormous expenditure of money. Yet, conducting a terrorist operation can be surprisingly inexpensive, and inventive terrorists use every means at their disposal to raise funds and move money, from petty crime to bitcoins to legitimate charities.

While the Islamic State (IS) is considered the world’s largest and richest terrorist organization, terrorism now takes myriad forms. A number of recent and notable terrorist operations cost substantially less to implement than the Sept. 11 attacks, which were estimated to cost the perpetrators a mere half-million dollars.

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