The US Treasury Department is continuing to come down heavily on terrorist groups operating worldwide. As the latest move, the USTD has blacklisted two Turkey-based procurement agents working for Daesh and four companies instrumental in facilitating terrorist activity in Syria.
They were helping the terror group operating in Syria, Turkey, across the Gulf and Europe by providing logistical and financial support.
According to US officials, the intent is to ensure there is a dry out of any kind of support to such terrorist groups from growing. The targets were identified on lines with US Executive Order 13224, intended to identify terrorists and those who have materially helped or supported them, or offered them financially, material, or technological support.
While investigating, it was revealed that Jordon based Sahloul Money Exchange Company had transferred thousands of dollars to Daesh operatives in Turkey in 2016.
The two individuals identified are ISIS supporting brothers Ismail and Ahmet Bayaltun, who is based in Turkey and have acted as procurement agents for the group. Ismail Bayaltun owns and controls a business named ACL Ithalat Ihracat, based in Sanliurfa, a city in southern Turkey, not far from the Syrian border. Through that company, the Bayaltun brothers have “provided support to ISIS fighters,” including “equipment” in 2015 and 2017.
Along with them, U.S. Treasury has also referred to multiple “siblings” who were working with Ismail Bayaltun as of “late 2018” to provide “material support to ISIS.” Some Turkish new outlets had brought the dubious workings of Bayaltun brothers into focus, and they were arrested in 2015.
News reports in 2015 flashed claiming that Daesh fighters received freight shipments from Turkey that were sent with “Bayaltun” inscribed on the package.
As of now, all property and interests in the possession of Ismail Bayaltun in the US or that are in the control or possession of US persons are blocked and anything else, pertaining to these individuals would need to be reported to the Treasury Department immediately.
Earlier this year, the U.S. government also designated members of the Rawi Networkoperating in Turkey that had originally helped Saddam Hussein’s regime evade sanctions. But it became a core financial apparatus for the Islamic State later.
A row of such sanctions are now raising a finger against Turkey’s permissive environment. While the Turkish government reportedly cracks down on Islamic State networks from time to time, the country continues to host key parts of the group’s infrastructure.
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