The United Nations Security Council on today banned all trade in antiquities from war-torn Syria, threatened sanctions on anyone buying oil from Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front militants and urged states to stop kidnap ransom payments.
The 15-nation council unanimously adopted a Russian-drafted resolution, which is legally binding and gives the council authority to enforce decisions with economic sanctions. It does not authorize using military force.
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, lamented that the council had not been able to show the same unity on attempting to bring an end to the four-year civil war in Syria, blaming the conflict for the rise of Islamic State.
She rejected claims that the United States needed to partner with the Syrian government to confront violent extremists.
The resolution on today banned trade in Syria antiquities and reaffirmed a ban on Iraqi artifact sales from about a decade ago.
According to a UN report in November, it was very difficult to estimate how much money Islamic State was generating from the looting and trade in Syrian and Iraqi antiquities.
In November the UN estimated Islamic State's revenue from oil ranged between $846,000 to $1.6 million a day. However, the Pentagon has assessed that oil was no longer the main source of revenue for Islamic State. Western diplomats have said this was due to air strikes on oil installations and a plunge in oil prices that has affected black market prices as well.
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