By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 9:52 AM on 27th July 2011 . Fundraising: Suggested fundraising ideas include finding ways way to extort money from foreign oil, construction, transport and cell phone companies . Al Qaeda militants in Iraq made an online appeal today for new fundraising ideas to help thousands of widows and children of slain fighters. Insurgents of the Islamic State of Iraq - an umbrella group for Sunni militants - said they are in dire need of money after their main source of funding has dried up. In the past the group have funded their operations by robbing jewellery stores, banks and offices where the government pays out monthly salaries. But the main source of money, funding from abroad, has diminished leaving the group strapped for cash. In . an Arabic statement posted on Al Qaeda in Iraq's online forum, website . administrator Seif Saad lamented the state of the group's finances. He launched an urgent appeal for money to 'feed the widows and the orphans' of mujahedeen, or holy warriors. He wrote: 'A few days ago a brother was martyred, leaving behind a wife and children. 'There is no need to explain how we were running here and there to collect money for their minimum requirements of life,' Among the new ideas to raise funds, Saad suggested insurgents find a way to extort money from foreign oil, construction, transport and cell phone companies, as well as international media agencies. If the companies refused to pay, insurgents would disrupt their operations. He did not elaborate as to how. He said businessmen and wealthy families should be forced to pay annual zakat, or charity, which Islam stipulates should be roughly two percent of assets. He also called for imposing fines on wealthy Shiites in Iraq 'who receive aid from America and the West and steal the country's oil revenues.' Mohamed Abdel-Hadi, who identified himself online another administrator for the website, dismissed the idea of taking money from foreign companies, but said he strongly supports fining Shiites. 'All the Shiites, including merchants or government officials, are infidels and confiscating their money is part of jihad,' he wrote. A visitor on the website posted a comment suggesting militants kidnap company executives in return for hefty ransoms that could finance a prolonged insurgency. Islamic State of Iraq: One suggestion was the kidnapping of company executives in return for hefty ransoms that could finance a prolonged insurgency . Another contributor advised recruiting specialized Internet hackers to transfer money from U.S. banks to trusted people. The contributor did not elaborate. The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for last year's heists of the Central Bank of Iraq and a state-run investment centre. The global arm of Al-Qaeda has itself appealed for funds in the past. One request was made by Al-Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahri, who became the leader of the group after the death of Osama bin Laden. Last year, Al-Qaeda's top commander in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, also appealed for more funding, saying militants battling NATO forces were hampered by a lack of money and equipment. Osama bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in May, also appealed for more funds in some of his statement, urging businessmen to direct their alms to Al-Qaeda. The latest appeal comes as U.S. officials said they believed Al Qaeda was on the 'brink of collapse'. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said during his recent visit to Afghanistan that the U.S. was 'within reach of strategically defeating Al Qaeda'. His comment was dismissed by sceptics as an attempt to energise troops,  while at the same time defending the administration’s decision to wind down a decade-old war. But senior officials from the CIA, the National Counterterrorism Center and other agencies have expressed similar views in classified intelligence reports. Republican Senator for Georgia Saxby Chambliss said: 'There is a swagger within the community right now for good reason. 'Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is nowhere near defeat. 'But when it comes to Al Qaeda [core leadership in Pakistan], we have made the kind of strides that we need to make to be in a position of thinking we can win.'
Ideas included insurgents find a way .
to extort money from foreign oil, construction, transport and cell phone .
companies .
If the companies refused to pay, insurgents would disrupt their operations .
Militants kidnapping company executives in return for hefty ransoms was also suggested .
Appeal comes as U.S. says terror network is on the 'brink of collapse'
By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 9:52 AM on 27th July 2011 . Fundraising: Suggested fundraising ideas include finding ways way to extort money from foreign oil, construction, transport and cell phone companies . Al Qaeda militants in Iraq made an online appeal today for new fundraising ideas to help thousands of widows and children of slain fighters. Insurgents of the Islamic State of Iraq - an umbrella group for Sunni militants - said they are in dire need of money after their main source of funding has dried up. In the past the group have funded their operations by robbing jewellery stores, banks and offices where the government pays out monthly salaries. But the main source of money, funding from abroad, has diminished leaving the group strapped for cash. In . an Arabic statement posted on Al Qaeda in Iraq's online forum, website . administrator Seif Saad lamented the state of the group's finances. He launched an urgent appeal for money to 'feed the widows and the orphans' of mujahedeen, or holy warriors. He wrote: 'A few days ago a brother was martyred, leaving behind a wife and children. 'There is no need to explain how we were running here and there to collect money for their minimum requirements of life,' Among the new ideas to raise funds, Saad suggested insurgents find a way to extort money from foreign oil, construction, transport and cell phone companies, as well as international media agencies. If the companies refused to pay, insurgents would disrupt their operations. He did not elaborate as to how. He said businessmen and wealthy families should be forced to pay annual zakat, or charity, which Islam stipulates should be roughly two percent of assets. He also called for imposing fines on wealthy Shiites in Iraq 'who receive aid from America and the West and steal the country's oil revenues.' Mohamed Abdel-Hadi, who identified himself online another administrator for the website, dismissed the idea of taking money from foreign companies, but said he strongly supports fining Shiites. 'All the Shiites, including merchants or government officials, are infidels and confiscating their money is part of jihad,' he wrote. A visitor on the website posted a comment suggesting militants kidnap company executives in return for hefty ransoms that could finance a prolonged insurgency. Islamic State of Iraq: One suggestion was the kidnapping of company executives in return for hefty ransoms that could finance a prolonged insurgency . Another contributor advised recruiting specialized Internet hackers to transfer money from U.S. banks to trusted people. The contributor did not elaborate. The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for last year's heists of the Central Bank of Iraq and a state-run investment centre. The global arm of Al-Qaeda has itself appealed for funds in the past. One request was made by Al-Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahri, who became the leader of the group after the death of Osama bin Laden. Last year, Al-Qaeda's top commander in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, also appealed for more funding, saying militants battling NATO forces were hampered by a lack of money and equipment. Osama bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in May, also appealed for more funds in some of his statement, urging businessmen to direct their alms to Al-Qaeda. The latest appeal comes as U.S. officials said they believed Al Qaeda was on the 'brink of collapse'. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said during his recent visit to Afghanistan that the U.S. was 'within reach of strategically defeating Al Qaeda'. His comment was dismissed by sceptics as an attempt to energise troops,  while at the same time defending the administration’s decision to wind down a decade-old war. But senior officials from the CIA, the National Counterterrorism Center and other agencies have expressed similar views in classified intelligence reports. Republican Senator for Georgia Saxby Chambliss said: 'There is a swagger within the community right now for good reason. 'Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is nowhere near defeat. 'But when it comes to Al Qaeda [core leadership in Pakistan], we have made the kind of strides that we need to make to be in a position of thinking we can win.'
raise funds, Saad suggested insurgents find a way to extort money from foreign oil, construction, transport and cell phone companies, as well as refused to pay, insurgents would disrupt their company executives in return for hefty ransoms Qaeda was on the 'brink of collapse'. Defence