US imposes sanctions on ISIS financiers in Turkey

Hossam al-Haddad

The United States imposed sanctions on May 17 on three people and an entity based in Turkey for offering financial support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The three people and the entity were instrumental in connecting ISIS with a network of international financiers, the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement.

It added that the three people and the entity also helped the terrorist organization gain access to the financial system in the Middle East.

The Department of the Treasury said the three people include Alaa Khanfurah who transferred funs to ISIS members in Syria through a Turkey-based business in 2019 and 2020.

It said Idris Ali Awad al-Fay, who is currently in Iraqi custody, used the Turkey-based Al-Fay Company to facilitate the global distribution of currency on behalf of ISIS.

The department noted that Ibrahim Ali Awad al-Fay, Idris al-Fay’s brother, manages the Al-Fay Company in Idris al-Fay’s absence.

By appropriating funds from international sources through a network of currency exchanges and hawalas, Idris al-Fay and Ibrahim Ali ‘Awad al-Fay were able to send funds to ISIS elements in Iraq and Syria, the department said.

The Pentagon estimates, meanwhile, the money owned by ISIS at tens of millions of US dollars. The organization, it said, operates a large number of welfare companies that smuggle huge funds between Iraq and Syria and transfers money from logistical centers in Turkey.