Waging war on Islamic State's finances a key priority as cost of failure rises

The costs of failing to defeat Islamic State are rising to intolerable levels, both in lives tragically lost and dollars destroyed. A look at the numbers available suggests that the consequences of not acting outweigh the risks of a full-blown military boots-on-the-ground conflict.

Al-Qaeda’s Heirs Terrorism killed 32,658 people last year, up from just 3,329 at the start of the decade, according to the Global Terrorism Index compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Last year saw an 80% increase from the previous year, marking the biggest annual jump in 15 years. Fatalities among private citizens surged by 172%.