"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-06-28T13:58:07Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/06/27/declassified-ep-3-al-zarqawi-2.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 3 al-Zarqawi 2"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 3 al-Zarqawi 2"
data-video-tags="unrest, conflicts and war,international relations and national security,national security,terrorism and counter-terrorism,terrorism,iraq war,military,abu musab al- zarqawi,middle east and north africa,middle east,iraq,al qaeda,counterterrorism,islamic state in iraq and syria"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-06-28T13:58:07Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/06/27/declassified-ep-3-al-zarqawi-2.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 3 al-Zarqawi 2"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 3 al-Zarqawi 2"
data-video-tags="unrest, conflicts and war,international relations and national security,national security,terrorism and counter-terrorism,terrorism,iraq war,military,abu musab al- zarqawi,middle east and north africa,middle east,iraq,al qaeda,counterterrorism,islamic state in iraq and syria"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-08-27T20:01:15Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/08/27/kodak-spy-satellite-gambit-program-cold-war-soviet-union-declassified-orig.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="kodak spy satellite gambit program cold war soviet union declassified orig"
data-first-publish-slug="kodak spy satellite gambit program cold war soviet union declassified orig"
data-video-tags="cold war,companies,conflicts and wars,continents and regions,eastman kodak co,electronic communications surveillance,espionage,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,international relations and national security,national security,north america,the americas,united states,unrest, conflicts and war,us federal government"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-08-13T16:04:55Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/08/10/declassified-russian-bots-fake-accounts-josh-russell-orig-jl.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="declassified russian bots fake accounts josh russell orig jl"
data-first-publish-slug="declassified russian bots fake accounts josh russell orig jl"
data-video-tags="business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,computer science and information technology,continents and regions,eastern europe,employment and income status,europe,labor and employment,part time employment,russia,social and economic status,society,technology,working hours and patterns"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-21T15:07:15Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/08/21/ana-montes-the-myers-ron-declassified.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="ana montes the myers ron declassified"
data-first-publish-slug="ana montes the myers ron declassified"
data-video-tags="caribbean,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal convictions,criminal law,cuba,espionage,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,international relations and national security,latin america,law and legal system,national security,north america,united states,us federal government,verdicts"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-07-05T15:09:14Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/07/04/declassified-ep-4-montes-1.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 4 Montes 1"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 4 Montes 1"
data-video-tags="international relations and national security,national security,espionage,latin america,caribbean,cuba,us federal departments and agencies,us government independent agencies,us intelligence agencies,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,north america,united states,us federal government"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-07-05T15:07:26Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/07/04/declassified-ep-4-montes-2.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 4 Montes 2"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 4 Montes 2"
data-video-tags="latin america,caribbean,cuba,us federal departments and agencies,us department of justice,federal bureau of investigation,us government independent agencies,us intelligence agencies,international relations and national security,national security,espionage,arrests,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal law,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,law and legal system,law enforcement,us federal government"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-06-22T19:33:56Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/06/21/declassified-ep-2-saddam-1.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 2 Saddam 1"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 2 Saddam 1"
data-video-tags="crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal investigations,criminal law,fugitives and manhunts,law and legal system,political figures - intl,saddam hussein,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,chemical industry and chemicals,chemicals and environment,diseases and disorders,environment and natural resources,environmental illnesses,health and medical,lead poisoning,pollution,toxic and hazardous substances"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2013-08-17T00:09:24Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2013/08/16/erin-simon-area-51-is-real.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="erin simon area 51 is real"
data-first-publish-slug="erin simon area 51 is real"
data-video-tags=""
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-09-25T14:20:15Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/09/25/nicholson-declassified-father-son-spies.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="nicholson declassified father son spies"
data-first-publish-slug="nicholson declassified father son spies"
data-video-tags="central intelligence agency,espionage,federal bureau of investigation,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,intelligence services,international relations and national security,national security,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,us government independent agencies,us intelligence agencies"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-31T11:20:46Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/31/hijacked-egypt-air-passenger-declassified-ron.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="hijacked egypt air passenger declassified ron"
data-first-publish-slug="hijacked egypt air passenger declassified ron"
data-video-tags="accidents, disasters and safety,air transportation,air transportation safety,airlines,aviation security,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal offenses,espionage,hijacking,international relations and national security,national security,safety issues and practices,transportation and warehousing,travel and tourism,travel safety and security"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-31T12:05:57Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/31/hijacked-egypt-air-terrorist-demands-ron-declassified.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="hijacked egypt air terrorist demands ron declassified"
data-first-publish-slug="hijacked egypt air terrorist demands ron declassified"
data-video-tags="aircraft,aviation and aerospace industry,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal offenses,espionage,federal bureau of investigation,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,hijacking,international relations and national security,national security,terrorism,terrorism and counter-terrorism,unrest, conflicts and war,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-31T11:51:34Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/31/hijacked-egypt-air-talking-to-god-ron-declassified.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="hijacked egypt air talking to god ron declassified"
data-first-publish-slug="hijacked egypt air talking to god ron declassified"
data-video-tags="air transportation,airlines,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,crime, law enforcement and corrections,crimes against persons,criminal offenses,espionage,hijacking,international relations and national security,national security,shootings,transportation and warehousing"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-08-16T15:19:01Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/08/15/declassified-ep-6-angry-talon-1.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 6 Angry Talon 1"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 6 Angry Talon 1"
data-video-tags="crime, law enforcement and corrections,crimes against persons,criminal offenses,hostage taking,taliban,international assistance,international relations,international relations and national security,labor and employment,workers and professionals,afghanistan,asia,middle east,middle east and north africa,south asia"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-08-16T15:18:48Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/08/15/declassified-ep-6-angry-talon-2.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 6 Angry Talon 2"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 6 Angry Talon 2"
data-video-tags="afghanistan war,international relations and national security,international relations,international assistance,society,belief, religion and spirituality,religious groups,christianity,asia,south asia,middle east and north africa,middle east,afghanistan,taliban,crime, law enforcement and corrections,crimes against persons,criminal offenses,hostage taking,labor and employment,national security,terrorism,terrorism and counter-terrorism,terrorist attacks,unrest, conflicts and war,workers and professionals"
data-details="">
Video Ad Feedback
Film about Jesus lands aid workers in a Taliban prison
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-08-22T19:17:11Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/08/02/declassified-ep-7-chi-mak-2.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 7 Chi Mak 2"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 7 Chi Mak 2"
data-video-tags="international relations and national security,national security,espionage,asia,east asia,china,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal law,federal bureau of investigation,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,law and legal system,military,military electronics,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,verdicts"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-06-17T12:32:00Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/06/16/declassified-ep-1-trigon-moscow-1.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 1 Trigon/Moscow 1"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 1 Trigon/Moscow 1"
data-video-tags="central intelligence agency,cold war,espionage,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,international relations and national security,national security,unrest, conflicts and war,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,us government independent agencies,us intelligence agencies"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-08-29T18:54:25Z"
data-video-section="business"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tech/2016/08/05/declassified-ep-8-hexagon-1.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 8 Hexagon 1"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 8 Hexagon 1"
data-video-tags="international relations and national security,national security,espionage,cold war,telecommunications industry,business, economy and trade,business and industry sectors,aviation and aerospace industry,satellite industry,satellite technology,space and astronomy,space industry,spacecraft and satellites,military,military satellites,europe,eastern europe,russia,us federal departments and agencies,us government independent agencies,us intelligence agencies,central intelligence agency,alphabet inc,companies,electronic communications surveillance,google inc,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,technology,unrest, conflicts and war,us federal government"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-08-10T18:40:58Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/08/10/declassified-ep-5-cross-international.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 5 Cross International"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 5 Cross International"
data-video-tags="weapons and arms,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal offenses,illegal weapons,international relations and national security,national security,espionage,middle east and north africa,middle east,iran,us federal departments and agencies,us government independent agencies,us intelligence agencies,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,intelligence services"
data-details="">
Video Ad Feedback
The fake company that busted an Iranian arms dealer
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-08-10T18:40:44Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/08/10/declassified-ep-5-cross-international-2.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="Declassified Ep. 5 Cross International 2"
data-first-publish-slug="Declassified Ep. 5 Cross International 2"
data-video-tags="international relations and national security,national security,espionage,weapons and arms,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal offenses,illegal weapons,middle east and north africa,middle east,iran"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-03T12:59:21Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/08/02/sarin-gas-declassified-orig-mc.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="sarin gas declassified orig mc"
data-first-publish-slug="sarin gas declassified orig mc"
data-video-tags="syria conflict,weapons and arms,military,military weapons,weapons of mass destruction,biological and chemical weapons,unrest, conflicts and war,international relations and national security,national security,terrorism and counter-terrorism,terrorism,chemical and biological terrorism,terrorist attacks,domestic terrorism,middle east and north africa,middle east,syria,mike rogers (michigan politician),political figures - us"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-24T17:55:37Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/24/declassified-peacock-getting-close-to-a-terrorist.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="declassified peacock getting close to a terrorist"
data-first-publish-slug="declassified peacock getting close to a terrorist"
data-video-tags="drug enforcement administration,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,international relations and national security,national security,terrorism,terrorism and counter-terrorism,unrest, conflicts and war,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-15T23:46:25Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/08/15/the-order-ron-bust-declassified.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="the order ron bust declassified"
data-first-publish-slug="the order ron bust declassified"
data-video-tags="discrimination,federal bureau of investigation,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,international relations and national security,national security,racism and racial discrimination,right-wing extremism,societal issues,society,terrorism,terrorism and counter-terrorism,unrest, conflicts and war,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,white supremacy and neo-nazism"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-15T23:46:00Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/08/15/the-order-ron-shoot-out-declassified.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="the order ron shoot out declassified"
data-first-publish-slug="the order ron shoot out declassified"
data-video-tags="discrimination,federal bureau of investigation,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,international relations and national security,national security,racism and racial discrimination,societal issues,society,terrorism,terrorism and counter-terrorism,unrest, conflicts and war,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-15T23:45:39Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/08/15/the-order-ron-armored-truck-declassified.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="the order ron armored truck declassified"
data-first-publish-slug="the order ron armored truck declassified"
data-video-tags="crime, law enforcement and corrections,crimes against persons,criminal offenses,discrimination,federal bureau of investigation,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,hate crimes,hijacking,racism and racial discrimination,right-wing extremism,societal issues,society,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,violence in society,white supremacy and neo-nazism"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-15T23:45:23Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/08/15/the-order-ron-violent-race-hatred-declassified.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="the order ron violent race hatred declassified"
data-first-publish-slug="the order ron violent race hatred declassified"
data-video-tags="discrimination,federal bureau of investigation,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,racism and racial discrimination,right-wing extremism,societal issues,society,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,white supremacy and neo-nazism"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-24T17:57:17Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/24/declassified-peacock-tense-moments-before-arrest.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="declassified peacock tense moments before arrest"
data-first-publish-slug="declassified peacock tense moments before arrest"
data-video-tags="arrests,counterterrorism,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal law,international relations and national security,law and legal system,law enforcement,national security,terrorism,terrorism and counter-terrorism,unrest, conflicts and war"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-24T17:54:56Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/24/declassified-peacock-bad-guys-knew-me.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="declassified peacock bad guys knew me"
data-first-publish-slug="declassified peacock bad guys knew me"
data-video-tags="crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal offenses,drug enforcement administration,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,illegal weapons,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,weapons and arms"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-13T12:48:46Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/13/declassified-ron-super-power.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="declassified ron super power"
data-first-publish-slug="declassified ron super power"
data-video-tags="eastern europe,espionage,europe,international relations and national security,national security,russia"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-13T12:48:35Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/13/declassified-ron-metso.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="declassified ron metso"
data-first-publish-slug="declassified ron metso"
data-video-tags="eastern europe,espionage,europe,federal bureau of investigation,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,international relations and national security,national security,russia,us department of justice,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-13T12:48:24Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/13/declassified-ron-best-spy-cover.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="declassified ron best spy cover"
data-first-publish-slug="declassified ron best spy cover"
data-video-tags="eastern europe,europe,russia,espionage,immigration,immigration, citizenship and displacement,international relations and national security,national security,undocumented immigrants"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-07-13T12:48:17Z"
data-video-section="tv"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/13/declassified-ron-russia-monitors.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="declassified ron russia monitors"
data-first-publish-slug="declassified ron russia monitors"
data-video-tags="eastern europe,electronic communications surveillance,espionage,europe,international relations and national security,national security,north america,russia,united states"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-07-06T14:24:34Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/07/05/what-is-covert-breaking-and-entering-declassified-mike-rogers-orig.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="what is covert breaking and entering declassified mike rogers orig"
data-first-publish-slug="what is covert breaking and entering declassified mike rogers orig"
data-video-tags="burglary,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal offenses,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,intelligence services,international relations and national security,mike rogers (michigan politician),national security,political figures - us,property crimes"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-07-18T17:45:38Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/07/07/what-is-a-cover-identity-declassified-mike-rogers-orig.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="what is a cover identity declassified mike rogers orig"
data-first-publish-slug="what is a cover identity declassified mike rogers orig"
data-video-tags="government and public administration,government bodies and offices,intelligence services,international relations and national security,mike rogers (michigan politician),national security,political figures - us,government departments and authorities"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-06-29T15:57:32Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/06/29/what-is-cryptography-declassified-mike-rogers-orig.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="what is cryptography declassified mike rogers orig"
data-first-publish-slug="what is cryptography declassified mike rogers orig"
data-video-tags="government and public administration,government bodies and offices,intelligence services,international relations and national security,mike rogers (michigan politician),national security,political figures - us,digital security,technology"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2016-06-21T18:38:31Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/06/21/what-is-a-dead-drop-declassified-mike-rogers-orig.cnn"
data-branding-key="declassified"
data-video-slug="what is a dead drop declassified mike rogers orig"
data-first-publish-slug="what is a dead drop declassified mike rogers orig"
data-video-tags="government and public administration,government bodies and offices,intelligence services,international relations and national security,mike rogers (michigan politician),national security,political figures - us"
data-details="">
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in March. Learn how America’s intelligence network tracked and killed the godfather of ISIS, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, on CNN’s “Declassified,” Sunday, July 3, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Story highlights
ISIS isn't about to file for bankruptcy -- but its balance sheet is hurting
The anti-ISIS coalition has targeted the group's financial experts
But ISIS still has one major customer for oil and gas: the Syrian regime
CNN
—
Outside the deserted town of al Hawl in northern Syria, a network of pipes converges on a plant with three oil storage tanks.
It’s a small facility, but for more than a year it helped ISIS’ war economy, dispensing crude to middlemen willing to risk being bombed to trade it.
ISIS fighters were forced to abandon al Hawl in November. They scrawled graffiti on the tanks and rigged booby-traps. They also left behind a bomb factory and a source of taxation: al Hawl had 3,000 inhabitants.
Its retreat from al Hawl is one small example of a growing problem for the “caliphate.” Its revenues are declining as its control over populations and resources shrink.
In 2015, ISIS lost about 40% of the area it held in Iraq, as well as parts of northeastern Syria that have both good farmland and oil. Airstrikes on the oil infrastructure it controlled have further diminished the balance sheet. Some of its senior financial officials have been killed. Trading through Turkey has become much more difficult. Its cash depots have been bombed.
ISIS isn’t about to file for bankruptcy – but its balance sheet is hurting.
How come ISIS got so rich so quick?
A terror group that claims to be a state, or a “caliphate,” needs a lot of money, especially when – according to most estimates – some 4 to 5 million people live under its control.
ISIS did have a lot of money. Even before it went on its land-grab in 2014 it probably had assets worth $875 million, according to a study by the Rand Corporation. Much of that came through extortion.
It also enjoyed windfall profits in the expansionary days of 2014. These included, according to U.S. estimates, between $500 million and $1 billion seized from Iraqi bank vaults. The branch of the Central Bank in Mosul alone was said to contain more than $400 million.
It also grabbed thousands of tons of military equipment left behind by fleeing Iraqi security forces, and oil wells and refineries.
The cash was rolling in. Speaking in October 2014, senior U.S. Treasury official David S. Cohen said ISIS “has amassed wealth at an unprecedented pace.”
Last year, the group captured valuable phosphate deposits near Palmyra in Syria, to add to those parts of Anbar province in Iraq which are rich in the material. Phosphates are an important ingredient in fertilizer.
A conservative estimate would be that ISIS’ cash pile and revenues amounted to at least $1.5 billion a year ago. But ISIS was also spending money – fast.
Of course, ISIS doesn’t publish accounts, so it’s tough to estimate its spending. The Iraqi government budgeted $2 billion in 2014 for the provinces which ISIS then seized. The terror group is unlikely to be spending anything like that.
Even so, ISIS still has to provide basic social services, health care, water and electricity, and maintain roads and sewage systems. It has to pay wages, even more so when the Iraqi government decided last September not to continue paying civil servants in areas under ISIS control, a loss estimated at some $170 million a month to the local economy.
What about oil?
In late 2014, ISIS-controlled oil refineries were producing about 50,000 barrels a day, worth an estimated $500 million annually. Rather than handle the sales itself, ISIS tapped into existing smuggling networks which sold some of that oil into Turkey.
The margins were slim because there were many parties involved. Still, it was a lucrative trade.
An oil pump abandoned by ISIS near Al Hawl, Syria, with resultant environmental damage. This and other images were taken in northern Syria in early February.
Adam Dobby/CNN
ISIS destroyed much of the equipment at refineries before it retreated. Now many of the plants need extensive repairs.
Adam Dobby/CNN
Mohaamed, a Kurdish fighter overseeing a small refinery near al Hawl, says it's too dangerous to bring in the expertise needed to repair the damage created by ISIS.
Adam Dobby/CNN
A Kurdish YPG fighter on guard at an oil pump close to al Hawl, which lies in north-eastern Syria between the Turkish and Iraqi borders. ISIS carries out frequent suicide attacks in the area.
Adam Dobby/CNN
Oil is not the only product of al Hawl. Here a bomb factory lies abandoned after ISIS fighters fled the town.
Adam Dobby/CNN
A fighter from the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance, a combination of Kurdish and Arab fighters. The alliance has pushed ISIS out of large areas in northern Syria.
Adam Dobby/CNN
The scene of a fierce battle south of Hasakah, which is close to al Hawl. Eventually ISIS fighters were pushed out by a combination of coalition airstrikes and Kurdish militia.
Adam Dobby/CNN
War and oil: Devastation in northern Syria
But hasn’t oil crashed?
Yes, it has, but that’s not ISIS’ biggest problem. Last autumn, the anti-ISIS coalition decided to go after the terror group’s oil infrastructure with an operation called Tidal Wave II. It began targeting oil trucks, gas-oil separation plants and oil collection points.
On one day alone last November, according to a coalition estimate, 283 oil tankers were hit near Deir Ezzour in Syria, home to about two-thirds of ISIS’ oil production. Mobile refineries have also been targeted, making it more expensive for ISIS to obtain refined products. The spare parts and expertise needed to repair infrastructure were hard to come by.
It’s difficult to estimate current production from ISIS-controlled fields. Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the Combined Joint Task Force in Baghdad, says it may have fallen to about 34,000 barrels a day. Another source tells CNN that at times it has fallen below 20,000 barrels per day – a drop of 60%.
Sources in northern Syria say the price per barrel in places like Hasakah – outside ISIS control – is about $20, while in ISIS-held territory it has stayed above $40. That price likely reflects shortages. There are many reports of fuel rationing, and opposition activists say the price of gas in Raqqa has risen 25%. The Financial Times reported in February that ISIS has cut its fleet of cars in Deir Ezzour from 60 to 10.
Who else is buying oil?
ISIS still has one major customer for the oil and gas it has appropriated: the Syrian regime. According to one analyst, the regime may be buying up to 20,000 barrels per day from ISIS.
But isn’t ISIS fighting against the Syrian regime?
“The two are trying to slaughter each other and they are still engaged in millions and millions of dollars of trade,” says Adam Szubin, acting under secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Treasury.
ISIS’ seizure of the Palmyra area in May last year included two gas fields and a pumping station known as T3. That pushed the Syrian regime into a bargain with ISIS: “Continued flow of gas from eastern fields to regime power plants in return for payment or electricity supply,” according to Yezid Sayigh, a senior research associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
And what about taxes?
As it rampaged through Iraq and much of northern Syria in 2014, ISIS seized huge amounts of personal property. In Mosul it simply appropriated and resold the homes of those who fled and seized their bank accounts. It may also have made $100 million from the sale of antiquities, according to Iraqi officials.
And it made obscene sums from ransom payments and the sale of slaves, especially young Yazidi women. In 2014, ISIS made about $20 million from ransom payments, the U.S. Treasury estimates.
According to several studies, revenues from what is essentially looting and pillage probably made up 40% of the group’s income. But you can only confiscate a property, rob a bank or sell a hostage once.
ISIS also levies heavy and various taxes on the populations under its control. Its zakat tax takes about 10% of people’s income and it’s been known to take about a tenth of the amount whenever someone withdraws cash from a bank account. There are fees for using water, electricity and cell phone services.
Ludovico Carlino, a senior analyst at IHS/Janes, says: “They charge a 20% tax on all services.”
ISIS also makes money from Christians through an Islamic tax known as jizya. “If they refuse this, they will have nothing but the sword,” ISIS announced in 2014. ‘“Apostates” have to pay a repentance fee of some $2,500, according to ISIS documents analyzed by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi at the Middle East Forum.
Donations from the Gulf and elsewhere have helped, though not as much as with al Qaeda. International sanctions have hit donors and facilitators. ISIS has even tried – with unknown results – to exploit Bitcoin accounts to raise money overseas, even putting out an English-language guide.
So where is ISIS losing money?
Perhaps ISIS’ biggest problem now is a shrinking tax base as people have fled territory under its control, especially the professionals it needs such as doctors and engineers. ISIS documents have threatened medical professionals with having their property confiscated unless they return home.
The caliphate’s economy is largely isolated from the outside world, making it more difficult to develop and sell the resources under its control – from hydro-electric power to oil, cement and wheat. That’s in part because of a major crackdown by Turkish authorities on widespread illicit trade from which ISIS benefited. ISIS also lost control of stretches of the Syria-Turkish border to Kurdish forces.
That sort of expertise is not easily replicated. Other key officials have also been sanctioned, including those involved in oil.
ISIS revenues are now some $80 million a month, with half coming from taxation and confiscation, according to a recent analysis by IHS/Janes. But that may not be enough.
Al-Tamimi told CNN the pay cut appears to have applied only to Raqqa. But he notes other austerity measures: “Reductions in ‘perks’ for IS fighters and cracking down on ‘waste expenditure’ definitely exist,” he explained, including restricting the use of vehicles when not needed for operations.
The squeeze may have been aggravated by a U.S. airstrike on January 11 against an ISIS depot in Mosul, which destroyed “millions” in bills, according to U.S. officials. That appears to have provoked ISIS into stepping up tax collection efforts. In Mosul and Fallujah, according to anecdotal evidence, it has also begun “selling” the right to leave to the few who can afford to do so. It costs $1,000 – $2,000.
According to some Iraqi sources, ISIS also began dispersing its cash holdings. The coalition announced last weekend that an airstrike hit an ISIS financial distribution center near Qarraya, 45 miles south of Mosul.
Where else does ISIS have problems?
As its supply lines are cut, in northern Iraq for example, ISIS has to spend more to transport fighters, weapons and supplies via more circuitous routes across the Jazeera desert.
Moving cash to buy supplies is also becoming more difficult. The U.S. Treasury Department, working with some 30 other countries and organizations, is trying to cut bank branches in ISIS-held territory in Iraq out of the international system.
But for now, ISIS is still able to access money-changers in Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon who operate outside the formal financial system.
“Don’t underestimate continued cash flow with the outside world,” Al-Tamimi told CNN. “So long as that continues, I don’t see a fatal economic collapse from within – just the standard of living getting worse and worse.”
So what’s going to happen?
ISIS is adaptive and resilient. It continues to function, with a sophisticated bureaucracy driving tax collection. Were it a typical terrorist group not focused on governing an area larger than Belgium, money might not be such a concern. But its credo is about maintaining and expanding a state.