US sanctions 5 people for funding ISIS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. has imposed sanctions on five people for funding the Islamic State (ISIS), with the Treasury Department stating that the sanctioned individuals have been pivotal in helping extremists travel to Syria and other areas where the terrorist group is active.

The Treasury Department stated that the network allocates money to extremist operatives in Turkey and Indonesia. They have used some of the money to pay for smuggling children from refugee camps and hand them over to foreign ISIS members as potential recruits. 

Brian Nilsson Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Defense Trade Controls said that the United States, as part of the international coalition to defeat the terrorist group ISIS, are committed to denying the organization the ability to raise and transfer funds through multiple judicial systems.

An Indonesian woman named Dewi Dalia Sowsanti and her partners were accused of transferring money to Syria, Turkey, and Indonesia. The Treasury Department stated that Sowsanti used the money to smuggle teenagers from refugee camps to the desert where they were received by foreign fighters, most likely to serve as ISIS child recruits.

Sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control prohibits any property or other assets owned by individuals in the United States. Those dealing with sanctioned persons can be subject to secondary sanctions.