REUTERS - The United States
imposed sanctions on two Yemeni men and a Yemen-based charity on Wednesday as
part of its ongoing efforts to disrupt the financial and
support networks of
the Islamist militant group al Qaeda's powerful Yemen branch, the U.S. Treasury
said.
The Treasury added
Al-Hasan Ali Ali Abkar, Abdallah Faysal Sadiq al-Ahdal and the Rahmah
Charitable Organization to its list of specially designated nationals and
entities that support or engage in terrorism. It said the Rahmah Charitable
Organization acted as a "front organization" for the group Al Qaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
"The
facilitators and front company designated today are responsible for supporting
AQAP's violent terrorist activities," John Smith, acting director of the
Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in a statement.
The department's
action prohibits U.S. citizens from engaging in any transactions with the two
men and the charity and blocks any property they may have in U.S.
jurisdictions.
"Today's action
not only exposes their illicit activities but also aims to disrupt and
dismantle AQAP's financial and support networks," Smith said.
Ali Ali Akbar has
provided support to AQAP since 2014, including helping to supply money, weapons
and ammunition to AQAP forces, the department said. As of 2015, he also was an
AQAP commander responsible for Yemen's Marib and al-Jawf regions, it said.
Sadiq al-Ahdal has
supported AQAP since 2009, the department said. As of this year, he was a
senior tribal leader in Hadramawt district, it said. He has managed foreign
AQAP fighters and has raised funds for AQAP from Gulf businesses under the
cover of his charity, the Rahmah Charitable Organization, which was also placed
on the Treasury's list, the department said.
REUTERS
Follow Solenzo Blog on
0 Comments