Isis to introduce newly minted currency

New images of what appear to be minted 'Isis dinar' gold coins were posted on Twitter by an anti-Isis activist earlier this week, suggesting that the terror group have are ready to start issuing its own currency.

Abu Ibrahim Raqqawi, founder of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a group dedicated to reporting the atrocities taking place throughout the city of Raqqa, tweeted the photos on Monday, writing: "Isis will deal with it soon".

#Raqqa the new coins that #ISIS say it will deal with it soon #Syria #IS #ISIL pic.twitter.com/7IdBNQuaOE

— Abu Ibrahim Raqqawi (@raqqa_mcr) June 22, 2015

The coins, which were identified as one and five dinar, are inscribed on one side with: "The Islamic State – a caliphate based on the doctrine of the Prophet" written in Arabic. On the other side of the five dinar coin is a map of the world, while on the one dinar piece there are seven what stalks.

Terror Monitor, a global terrorist monitoring group, tweeted images of Isis' proposed exchange rate for the self-made currency, which it plans to mint in precious metals. A five dinar coin is reportedly valued at €619, one gold dinar is €124, three silver dirhams ranging between €0.89 and €8, and the two coppers are a few pennies each.

#ISIS's so-called currency exchange rate:
1 Gold Dinar is $139. 1 Silver #Dinar is $1.#Propaganda. pic.twitter.com/J4z7oQa1Fh

— Terrormonitor.org (@Terror_Monitor) June 23, 2015

Looted goods and possessions acquired by the terrorist group will likely be melted down to provide the metal needed to create the currency, as there are no metal resources in the region to utilize in the creation of the coins.

Isis first announced its intention to establish its own currency in November 2014. At the time the Guardian reported that the group was struggling to locate a mint with which to print the intended currency and the precious metals needed to do so.

It is currently unclear how Isis plans to produce and circulate this new currency, or whether or not they currently possess the resources needed to mint more than the few coins shown in the Twitter photos.

Charlie Winter, a researcher at the counter-extremism thinktank the Quilliam Foundation, told the Independent newspaper he believes Isis is increasingly attempting to depict its legitimacy as the first anniversary of its self-proclaimed "caliphate" approaches.

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