THE United States (US) has released the names of individuals and entities connected with financial networks of terror group, ISIS, in furtherance of the President Donald Trump administration’s fight against global terrorism financing.
The designations announced on Monday, June 22, affect three men and six businesses operating in Europe, the Middle East and West Africa “who have enabled ISIS to move money across borders.”
Washington believed that by crippling the web, which spans from France and Syria to Türkiye and Nigeria, the US is cutting off funds that enable ISIS to execute attacks, support its regional affiliates and threaten civilians, including religious minorities.
The targets include a Nigerian whose money exchange firms served as conduits for ISIS financing, a French man who provided information on explosives to ISIS supporters, and a Syrian who used crypto to transfer funds on behalf of ISIS allies.
The US government reaffirmed its strong partnership with Nigeria, which joined the US in the May 16 operation that led to the killing of the second-in-command of ISIS, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, in the Lake Chad area of Borno State.
The US unrelenting pressure on ISIS, according to the State Department statement, continues to decentralise its operations and rely on financial intermediaries to connect its global network, adding: “We will continue to use every diplomatic and legal tool available to hold ISIS and its supporters accountable, wherever they operate and however they move money.”
The Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has published the details of companies and three nationals now regarded as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).
The Nigerian is Muhammad Mukhtar Adamu, linked to ISIS-West Africa. Born on August 2, 1990, Muhammad’s home address indicated that he resides in the Agege area of Lagos State.
The Syrian, Abdelhakim Boukich, a.k.a. Babili Muhammad, was born on December 15, 1993, or January 1, 1991, while the French was named as Abderrahmane Miloud, a.k.a. Ghazi Ibrahim, born in August 1992.
Boukich and Ibrahim are linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The three companies linked to Muhammad, based in Nigeria, include General Currency Bureau De Change Limited, located in Lagos State and established on January 9, 2019, with Registration Number RC 1555604; Manhattan Bureau De Change, located at Murtala Mohammad Way, Kano, registered on January 26, 2021, with registration number- RC 1763824; and Nine To Nine Exchange Bureau De Change, FAAN Complex, Airport Road, Lagos State, with registration number- RC 1462752.
