WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States has imposed sanctions against three key leaders of the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist group, including an "oil official" Faysal al-Zahrani, the US Treasury said in a press release on Thursday.
"The US Department of the Treasury today announced the designations of senior ISIL [Daesh] oil official Faysal al-Zahrani, foreign fighter facilitator Husayn Juaythini, and senior ISIL official Turki al-Binali pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism," the release stated.
All assets of the sanctioned individuals and entities that are located in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are frozen, according to the Treasury. Moreover, US nationals are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
US Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin explained in the release that the sanctions target the financing of the terrorist group.
"Treasury and our partners worldwide are aggressively targeting ISIL’s [Daesh] ability to earn and make use of its money, and we are making progress on many fronts," he added.
The United States announced the sanctions ahead of the first joint session of two international counterterrorism groups, which will take place on February 13-14. The Financial Action Task Force will host a joint meeting with the Counter ISIL Finance Group to discuss ways to close financial streams for the group.
The Islamic State, or Daesh, is a designated terrorist group that controls large swaths of land in Iraq and Syria, where it has established a caliphate under the rule of Sharia law. The group is outlawed in the United States and Russia, among other countries.
