U.S. blacklists Turkish companies, people for supporting terrorism

Shaimaa Yehia

The United States on Monday November 18th imposed sanctions on four companies and two people, mostly operating in Turkey, for providing financial and logistical support to Daesh.

The targets were blacklisted under an executive order that imposes sanctions on terrorists and those who have provided assistance or support for terrorists, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Turkey-based Sahloul Money Exchange Company, Al-Sultan Money Transfer Company and ACL Ithalat Ihracat were targeted for providing financial and logistical support to Daesh, as were Turkish nationals Ismail Bayaltun and his brother Ahmet Bayaltun.

The Afghanistan-based Nejaat Social Welfare Organization and two of its senior officials, Sayed Habib Ahmad Khan and Rohullah Wakil, was also targeted for supporting activities of the Daesh branch in Afghanistan.

In a statement, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin characterized the move as a follow-up pressure tactic on the jihadi group after a U.S. special forces operations killed Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

“Following the highly successful operation against al-Baghdadi, the Trump administration is resolved to completely destroy Daesh’s remaining network of terror cells,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, using an acronym for the group.

Although President Trump has fostered an amicable relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, many current and former U.S. national security officials have expressed grave concerns about a slew of Turkish policies they say threaten U.S. security and Western interests. Among those worries include what they have called lax enforcement of international anti-money-laundering and terror-finance rules that allow bad actors to operate with impunity in Turkey, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Ismail Turki, a researcher in international affairs, said in an interview with The Reference that these sanctions come within efforts to destroy terrorist cells and impose a crackdown over its supporters.

He further added that Washington might be in the process of approving a series of sanctions on Turkey, not only for its support to terrorism, but because of a dissatisfaction with the Turkish regime, especially after the s-400 missile system deal with Russia.