United States: US Targets ISIL, Al-Nusrah Front, And Foreign Fighters

In addition to targeting terrorist leaders and financial and procurement networks generally, US authorities made a number of designations this quarter imposing sanctions on persons affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusrah Front (ANF). In making these designations, OFAC stated its support for UN Security Council Resolution 2170, which was adopted in August 2014 to condemn ISIL and ANF, and other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with al Qaeda. ISIL was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department in December 2004, while ANF was designated in May 2014.

On August 15, the same day that UNSCR 2170 was adopted, OFAC designated Abdul Mohsen Abdullah Ibrahim al-Sharikh and Hamid Hamad Hamid Al-'Ali as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs); both individuals were also included in the Annex to the UN resolution. Al-Sharikh was named for being an al Qaeda facilitator who moved to Syria in 2013 with other al Qaeda fighters and joined ANF; he allegedly previously served as head of al Qaeda's Iran-based financial network and as a financial facilitator for al Qaeda in Pakistan. Kuwait-based Al-'Ali allegedly has raised tens of thousands of dollars to help ANF purchase weapons and supplies and has facilitated the travel to Syria of individuals wishing to fight for ANF. On August 18, the State Department designated Abu Mohammed al-Adnani and Said Arif as SDGTs; both individuals were also included in the annex of the recently adopted UNSCR 2170. Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, born in Syria as Taha Sobhi Falaha, is the official spokesman for and a senior leader of ISIL. Al-Adnani purportedly was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose Coalition forces in Iraq before becoming ISIL's spokesman. Said Arif fled house arrest in France in October 2013 and traveled to Syria to join al-Nusrah Front. Arif is an officer deserter from the Algerian army who traveled to Afghanistan in the 1990s, where he trained in al Qaeda camps, and was a suspect in the al Qaeda December 2000 plot to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market. In 2003, Arif was arrested and was put on trial in France with 25 others as part of the "Chechen Network," which was accused of plotting to blow up the Eiffel Tower and conducting chemical attacks and attacks on malls and police stations in France. In 2006, Arif was convicted and sentenced for his role in these planned attacks.

On August 19, the State Department designated the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and SDGT. MSC is an umbrella group founded in 2012 that is composed of several jihadist terrorist sub-groups based in Gaza. MSC has claimed responsibility for numerous Gaza-based attacks on Israel, including cross-border rocket and IED attacks. The MSC released a statement in February 2014 declaring support for ISIL.

The US also made several designations this quarter described as part of the growing international effort to counter the threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters. Accordingly, on July 15, the State Department designated Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale as an SDGT under E.O. 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. Anders Dale is a Norwegian citizen who traveled to Yemen to join al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). As part of AQAP, Dale allegedly has received terrorist training and was taught to make bomb-belts, improvise explosive devices, and larger explosives used in car bombs. The State Department designated AQAP as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and an SDGT in January 2010. On August 6, OFAC designated as SDGTs what it described as three key supporters of terrorist operations in Iraq and Syria.

Two of the designated individuals – Shafi Sultan Mohammed al-Ajmi and Hajjaj Fahd Hajjaj Muhammad Sahib al-'Ajmi – are Kuwait-based and allegedly support ANF via fundraising appeals on social media and the use of financial networks, while 'Abd al-Rahman Khalaf 'Ubayd Juday' al-'Anizi is an alleged financier and facilitator for ISIL. In making these designations, OFAC noted that ANF and ISIL receive donations from private citizens located predominantly in the Arabian Peninsula to fund their operations, and that the action taken targeted individuals playing key roles in external financing and facilitation of terrorists in Syria and Iraq. On September 24, the State Department designated as SDGTs ten individuals and two groups with ties to foreign fighters. Formed in February 2013, Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JAMWA) is a Chechen-led terrorist organization based in Syria that consists primarily of foreign fighters. JAMWA has allegedly cooperated with other violent organizations in Syria, including ANF and ISIL, to launch deadly attacks against civilians, and has kidnapped civilians and other foreigners in Syria. Formed in August 2013, Harakat Sham al-Islam (HSI) is a Moroccan-led terrorist organization operating in Syria principally composed of foreign fighters. HSI allegedly has carried out terrorist attacks and engaged in kidnappings against civilians with ANF and other groups operating in Syria. As of mid-July 2014, Amru al-Absi was selected as ISIL's provincial leader in the Aleppo region of Syria and allegedly has been in charge of kidnappings. Salim Benghalemis a French ISIL member, who allegedly carries out executions on behalf of the group in Syria. Al Qaeda member Mohammed Abdel-Halim Hemaida Saleh was arrested in Egypt in May 2013 for plotting to attack Western embassies in Cairo. As of mid-2013, Saleh is alleged to have recruited suicide bombers to send to Syria and planned terrorist activities against unspecified targets in Europe. Lavdrim Muhaxheri is a Kosovar Albanian foreign fighter for ISIL who operates in both Syria and Iraq. Muhaxheri made international headlines in July 2014 after uploading to Facebook graphic photos of himself beheading a young man. Murad Margoshvili is a Chechen leader who built a terrorist training base in Syria near the Turkish border, where newly arrived foreign fighters received combat training. He is also the leader of Junud al-Sham, a militant group fighting in Syria. Nusret Imamovic is a Bosnian terrorist leader operating in Syria and believed to be fighting with ANF. Muhannad al-Najdi is a Saudi-born facilitator for al Qaeda who is now based in Syria. Prior to traveling to Syria in 2013, al-Najdi was involved in facilitation and operational planning in support of attacks in Afghanistan. Abdessamad Fateh, also known as Abu Hamza, is a member of a Scandinavia-based network of extremists allegedly linked to al Qaeda who has also traveled to Syria. Abd al-Baset Azzouz has had a presence in Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and Libya, and is considered a key operative capable of training al Qaeda recruits. Maalim Salman was chosen by now-deceased al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi aw-Mohamed (aka Godane) to be the head of African foreign fighters for al-Shabaab. He has trained foreign nationals who were seeking to join al-Shabaab as foreign fighters, and has been involved in operations in Africa targeting tourists, entertainment centers, and churches.

Also on September 24, OFAC imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and one entity allegedly providing financial and other support to terrorist groups, including ISIL. Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili is a Georgian national and top Islamic State military commander living in Syria said to have overseen the group's prison facility near Raqqah, a city controlled by ISIL, where foreign hostages may have been held. Also targeted was Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-'Awni al-Harzi, believed to be one of the first terrorists to join the ISIL. OFAC alleges that al-Harzi helped raise $2 million from a Qatar-based facilitator and recruited and trained foreign fighters. Mr. Harzi, who was born in Tunis, was also purportedly in charge of receiving foreign fighter recruits and providing light weapons training before sending them into Syria. An additional six people were designated for providing financial support to ANF, al Qaeda in Iraq, or AQAP. OFAC also targeted three individuals alleged to have supported Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asia-based group with ties to al Qaeda that carried out a 2002 bombing in Bali, along with Hilal Ahmar Society Indonesia, a nongovernmental organization that calls itself Jemaah Islamiyah's humanitarian wing.

On July 10, OFAC targeted what it described as a key Hezbollah procurement network by designating brothers Kamel Mohamad Amhaz and Issam Mohamad Amhaz, along with their Lebanon-based business, Stars Group Holding, and certain managers and individuals affiliated with Stars Group. Stars Group is alleged to have covertly purchased sophisticated electronics and other dual-use technology from suppliers around the world, including engines, communications, and navigation equipment. This equipment appears to have been used in Hezbollah's development of unmanned aerial vehicles for its military activities in Syria.

On August 7, the State Department amended the Foreign Terrorist Organization and SDGT designation of Harakat-Mujahdin (HUM) to add the alias Ansar ul-Ummah. HUM is a Pakistan-based terrorist organization that seeks the annexation of Kashmir into Pakistan. The group operates in Pakistan and engages in terrorist activity in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, with its membership composing an estimated several hundred armed supporters. HUM also operates terrorist training camps in eastern Afghanistan and has conducted a number of operations against Indian troops and civilian targets in the Kashmir region. The Department of State designated HUM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997 but stated that HUM has repeatedly changed its name since the original designation occurred in an effort to avoid sanctions, including the creation of Ansar ul-Ummah as a front organization. On August 27, OFAC issued sanctions targeting the leadership and financial networks of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT), another Pakistan-based terrorist group, by designating Muhammad Iqbal and Asma Money Exchangers as SDGTs. Iqbal allegedly helped LT receive money through his business, Asma Money Exchangers. Iqbal is a founding member of LT-affiliated NGO Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation's (FIF) governing board; as of 2010, Iqbal has also served as FIF's Finance Secretary. The State Department identified FIF as an alias of LT in November 2010. On September 30, OFAC further targeted HUM and LT by designating a handful of individuals and entities as SDGTs under E.O. 13224. Fazl-ur Rehman Khalil was designated as the founder and current leader of HUM who also has allegedly maintained a close relationship with al Qaeda. Muhammad NaeemSheikh and Umair Naeem Sheikh were designated for acting for or on behalf of, and providing financial support to, LT. The Sheikhs are allegedly significant financial supporters and fundraisers for the group. Pakistan-based businesses Nia International and Abdul Hameed Shahab-ud-Din were also designated for being owned and controlled by the Sheikhs.

On August 21, OFAC targeted the financial and leadership networks of the Taliban by designating one entity and two individuals as SDGTs. Haji Abdul Basir and his Pakistan-based hawala, Basir Zarjmil Company, were designated for providing financial services or other support to the Taliban, while Taliban commander Qari Rahmat was designated for acting for or on behalf of the Taliban. Basir Zarimil Hawala allegedly distributes money to Taliban members in Afghanistan. Haji Abdul Basir owns and operates the Basir Zaarjmil Hawala; Basir also allegedly transferred money to Taliban elders and facilitated the travel of Taliban informants to Afghanistan. Qari Rahmat has been a Taliban commander since at least February 2010, purportedly directing the activities of approximately 300 Taliban operatives in Afghanistan and providing operational guidance and weapons.

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