United Nations: A United Nations Security Council committee blacklisted on Tuesday more than a dozen foreign extremist fighters, fundraisers and recruiters tied to militant groups in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tunisia and Yemen, including a senior Daesh leader.
Individuals from France, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Senegal and Kuwait are among those targeted by the Security Council’s Al Qaida sanctions committee for an arms embargo, global travel ban and asset freeze.
France submitted three of the individuals to the committee, while the United States proposed 11 individuals and the groups Ansar Al Sharia in Tunisia, which has links to Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and has recruited Tunisian youth to fight in Syria, and the Al Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades.
The UN action coincides with the expected adoption on Wednesday, at a meeting due to be chaired by US President Barack Obama, of a UN Security Council resolution to suppress foreign extremist fighters.
One individual sanctioned by the UN committee is Abdul Rahman Mohammad Mustafa Al Qaduli, an Iraqi who is a senior Daesh leader in Syria and previously served as a deputy to Al Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab Al Zarqawi.
Also blacklisted is Norwegian Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale. He is described as a member of Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula who made several trips to Yemen where he was trained to make bomb belts, improvised explosive devices and car bombs.
“Dale’s ability to travel to many countries without visa restrictions has the potential to be used by AQAP to carry out an attack in those countries,” according to the UN listing.
The UN committee also added Shafi Sultan Mohammad Al Ajmi, a Kuwaiti who is described as an active fundraiser for Al Nusra Front and “operates regular social media campaigns seeking donations for Syrian fighters,” according to the listing.
Diplomats said the Security Council has agreed a US-drafted resolution, to be formally adopted on Wednesday, that aims to “prevent and suppress the recruiting, organising, transporting or equipping” of people to perpetrate, plan, prepare or participate in extremist attacks.
The resolution generally targets foreign extremist fighters travelling to conflicts anywhere in world, but it has been spurred by the rise of Daesh and Al Nusra Front in Syria and Iraq.
Some 12,000 fighters from at least 74 countries have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with extremist groups, experts have said.
The draft resolution is under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which makes it legally binding for the 193 UN member states and gives the Security Council authority to enforce decisions with economic sanctions or force. The draft text, however, does not mandate military force to tackle the foreign fighter issue.
