The United States Sanctions Six Individuals and Entities for Supporting ISIS

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has added six individuals and entities to its sanctions list with the aim of cutting off the financial lifeline of the Islamic State group, ISIS. In an announcement on Friday, February 9, the U.S. Treasury mentioned Abdul Fattah Skalon Abubakar, a Filipino national, Yunus Emre Skaraya, a Turkish national, and Muhammad Mire Ali Yusuf, a Somali national, all of whom are accused of financing, equipping, or providing technical support to ISIS. Additionally, three companies associated with two of these individuals in Turkey and Somalia have also been added to the U.S. sanctions list. According to the report, Abdul Fattah Abubakar is accused of financing and equipping ISIS and its related network in the Philippines during 2016 and 2017 and assisting in financial transfers for the group outside the Philippines. The U.S. Treasury states that this Filipino national also helped ISIS acquire weapons and explosives. He was arrested by Filipino authorities last summer while returning from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Manila. The announcement from the U.S. Treasury indicates that Yunus Skaraya, a Turkish national, supplied equipment for drones to ISIS through his company known as Professional Electronics. This Turkey-based company, which has been placed on the U.S. sanctions list, reportedly received orders worth about $500,000 in 2016 for parts needed for drones and related equipment. Muhammad Mire Yusuf is also accused of acting as a cover for ISIS-affiliated groups in the Bari region of Somalia through his companies. His companies, Liban Trading and Al-Mutafaq Trading, have been added to the U.S. sanctions list due to activities supporting ISIS in Somalia. The announcement of these sanctions against individuals and entities for financial and logistical support to ISIS comes just one day after the U.S. added three Pakistanis to its sanctions list for connections to terrorist groups in Pakistan. In this regard, the U.S. Treasury stated that these sanctions are part of broader efforts by the U.S. government to disrupt the financial networks of terrorist groups, and it calls on Pakistan and other regional countries to cooperate in eliminating the operational bases of these dangerous financial networks. Earlier this year, the United Nations Security Council also voted decisively to sanction eight individuals and companies linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS. A resolution prepared by the U.S. referenced ISIS leaders in Southeast Asia, with the goal of increasing 'international efforts to combat terrorism and the financing of terrorists.'