US government has imposed sanction high-ranking al-Shabaab members who as interlocutors between the group and local companies in Somalia.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed the sanctions on more than a dozen individuals from Somalia and Yemen who are involved in al-Shabab’s financing operations which in turn use those funds to assist in weapons procurement and recruitment activities.
One member is accused of using digital currency to launder money for the group.
“Treasury is focused on identifying and disrupting al-Shabab´s illicit networks operating in Eastern Africa,” said Brian E. Nelson, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
“We will continue to take action against the weapons smuggling and fundraising activities of al-Shabab and other al-Qaida affiliates.”
According to a Treasury statement, individuals who were sanctioned include Khalif Adale, Abdullahi Jeeri and Abdikarim Hussein Gagaal while others were designated for working as al-Shabaab weapons traffickers. Among them are Abdirahman Nurey, Abdisamad
Jeeri, al-Shabab’s chief of weapons procurement, according to Treasury. Jeeri has been active as recent as late last year, often getting weapons from local sellers and international suppliers based out of Yemen.
U.S. officials also said Jeeri is responsible for collecting payments levied against various Somali businesses.
The U.S. says Jeeri is a member of al-Shabab’s Shura (Consultative) Council, the group’s second highest administrative body after the Tanfid (Executive) Council.
Adale has served as al-Shabaab’s finance leader for collecting money from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and has reported directly to al-Shabaab’s emir Ahmed Diriye, who was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to E.O.13224 in 2015.
He was part of al-Shabaab leader Mahad Karate’s team within the al-Shabaab organizational structure and maintained communication with Karate. The U.S. Department of State designated Karate as an SDGT on April10, 2015.
Adale had served as an al-Shabaab finance officer whose role included brokering business deals between al-Shabaab and legitimate businesses, handling higher-level payments imposed on businesses, acting as a clan liaison to settle disputes between clans, and recruiting for al-Shabaab.
In late 2017, al-Shabaab senior leaders, including Adale, arranged for approximately 600 fighters to be trained by al-Shabaab and paid for by members of a local clan. Al-Shabaab ultimately recruited up to 600 children between the ages of 10 to 15 from local villages for training to support future al-Shabaab operations.
Afgooye who has $5 million USD bounty on his head oversees a complex financial network, whose activities range from involvement in sham charities and fundraising to racketeering and kidnapping in support of al-Shabaab.
As of early 2021, Afgooye was a senior official in al-Shabaab’s Finance Department under Mahad Karate. Afgooye previously served as al-Shabaab’s Chief of Finance.
He has continued to serve in an influential leadership position in al-Shabaab’s Finance Department and was involved with al-Shabaab’s overseas financial transactions. Afgooye also managed al-Shabaab’s financial relationships with local companies, personally conducting negotiations on behalf of al-Shabaab.
Gagaale has served as a deputy within al-Shabaab’s Finance Department under Mahad Karate. Gagaale is being designated pursuant to E.O.13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, al-Shabaab.
Abdisamad is an al-Shabaab militant and has been in close contact with the al-Shabaab Senior Leadership Council. In 2010, al-Shabaab provided funding for Samad’s university degree, including travel and tuition expenses.
Nurey is a middleman between al-Shabaab and the local private sector. Nurey has securely stored, transferred, and laundered fiat and digital currency for al-Shabaab. Nurey has gathered financial transfers from al-Shabaab local finance officials to al-Shabaab finance leaders.
Nurey has facilitated al-Shabaab’s use of meeting space and has assisted in fundraising for al-Shabaab.
Source – AFP
