US Puts Sanctions on 14 Men for Alleged Ties to al-Shabab Financial, Arms Networks

The U.S. government on Monday imposed sanctions on 14 men, including six it said were part of a network that has engaged in weapons procurement, financial facilitation and recruitment for the al-Shabab militant Islamist group.


"Treasury is focused on identifying and disrupting al-Shabab's illicit networks operating in Eastern Africa," Brian Nelson, the Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. "We will continue to take action against the weapons smuggling and fundraising activities of al-Shabab and other [al-Qaida] affiliates."


The Treasury named the six as Abdullahi Jeeri, Khalif Adale, Hassan Afgooye, Abdikarim Hussein Gagaale, Abdi Samad and Abdirahman Nurey. All were designated under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorist groups and their supporters.


It also sanctioned three men — Mohamed Hussein Salad, Ahmed Hasan Ali Sulaiman Mataan and Mohamed Ali Badaas — under the same executive order, accusing them of being part of an al-Shabab smuggling and weapons trafficking network in Yemen.


Lastly, Treasury said the State Department had designated five individuals who hold leadership roles within al-Shabab: Mohamed Mire, Yasir Jiis, Yusuf Ahmed Hajji Nurow, Mustaf 'Ato and Mohamoud Abdi Aden, again under the same executive order.


As a result of the designations, all property of the people targeted falling under U.S. jurisdiction must be blocked and reported to the Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). OFAC regulations generally bar U.S. persons from dealing with those designated and carrying out some transactions with them can also expose non-U.S. persons to sanction.