U.S. sanctions Islamic State supporters, targets finances

Iraqi security forces hold an Islamist State flag which they pulled down at the University of Anbar, in Anbar province July 26, 2015.

Tue Sep 29, 2015

The United States imposed sanctions on Tuesday against more than 30 Islamic State leaders, financial figures, supporters and affiliated groups in an effort to block the militants from the international financial system.

The Treasury Department announced sanctions against 15 Islamic State figures, including those it identified as supporters and facilitators.

The State Department designated 10 individuals and five groups as foreign terrorist fighters, including citizens of France, Britain, a designation that imposes sanctions and penalties on terrorists, it said in a statement.

The announcements represent a "real ramp-up" in the effort to block Islamic State from the international financial system, a senior U.S. official told reporters on a conference call.

"Treasury remains relentless about depleting ISIL’s financial strength and denying this violent terrorist group access to the international financial system,” Adam J. Szubin, acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement, using an acronym for the group.

The State Department designations included Islamic State's Khorasan and Caucuses affiliates, as well as Islamic State-linked groups operating in Indonesia and Algeria.

The newly designated individuals include citizens of Britain, France, Russia, Syria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

Several of the people targeted by Treasury were among the four British citizens added to the United Nations' al Qaeda sanctions list Monday, it said.

The diverse nationalities highlight the global nature of the Islamic State threat, a second U.S. official said on the conference call.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and David Alexander; Editing by Lisa Lambert and Bill Trott)