U.S widens sanctions on Islamic State, al-Qaeda

The United States has expanded sanctions against affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group operating across the
Middle East and North Africa, reflecting the spreading threat of extremism far beyond the groups’ traditional strongholds in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

The State Department designated the IS branch in Libya as a foreign terrorist organization, freezing its assets and restricting its members from entering the U.S.

The U.S also named IS branches in Libya, Yemen and Saudi Arabia as global terrorists, joining other IS branches in Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula already on the list.

The action prohibits Americans from doing business with the groups and targets any property they may have within U.S jurisdiction.

The State Department said they became branches in 2014 when their oath of allegiance was accepted by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS leader.

In a related move, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on six individuals for supporting or fundraising for IS or al-Qaeda, including al-Qaeda’s branch operating in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Those sanctions also targeted the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria that — like the U.S — opposes Syrian President Bashar Assad.