US sanctions terrorist arms trafficking network supplying Islamic State in Somalia

The United States is trying to curb the flow of weapons to the Islamic State terror group’s affiliate in Somalia, taking aim at a smuggling operation that is also helping to arm its al-Qaida-linked rival, al-Shabab, with weapons from Iran.

The US Treasury Department Tuesday announced sanctions against eight individuals and one company all involved in the years-long effort to smuggle millions of dollars of weapons between Yemen and Somalia. Among those targeted are Abdirahman Fahiye, believed to lead IS-Somalia’s day-to-day operations, Mohamed Ahmed Qahiye, who heads IS-Somalia’s intelligence wing, and Isse Mohamoud Yusuf, a former pirate who continues to run weapons on behalf of IS. The action comes as Washington seeks to increase its focus on exposing and disrupting “terrorist” financing networks in Africa.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for two car bombs that exploded outside the education ministry in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday (29 October), killing at least 120 people in the deadliest blasts since a truck bomb killed more than 500 people at the same location five years ago. Tuesday’s action comes as Washington seeks to increase focus on exposing and disrupting “terrorist” financing networks in Africa, a senior Treasury official told reporters. While the latest move is the first from the Treasury targeting the Islamic State in Somalia, the official said additional action is expected in the coming weeks. In 2018, the US Department of State designated Islamic State in Somalia a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist”.