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US slaps sanctions on Filipino, others for supporting ISIS, acts of terrorism

February 10, 2018 | 11:30am

US slaps sanctions on Filipino, others for supporting ISIS, acts of terrorism

Washington said it believes the Filipino worked with an ISIS member in the Philippines from January 2016 to July 2017 to facilitate the transfer of thousands of dollars that might have been used to purchase arms for the terrorists. File photo

MANILA, Philippines — The US government has sanctioned three individuals, including a Filipino, for providing support for ISIS and advancing violent extremism in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

In a statement, the US Department of the Treasury said it designated Abdulpatta Escalon Abubakar as one of the “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” for allegedly serving as a key facilitator for ISIS and its network in the Philippines since at least January 2016.

As a result, all property and interests in property of Abubakar that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US citizens are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with him.

In September last year, Immigrations Port Operations Division chief Red Marinas had said Abubakar was arrested when he arrived on a flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abubakar was referred to the duty immigration supervisor for secondary inspection and a check with their records reportedly showed he was a suspected terrorist.

Washington said it believes Abubakar worked with an ISIS member in the Philippines from January 2016 to July 2017 to facilitate the transfer of thousands of dollars that might have been used to purchase arms for the terrorists.

The US also said Abubakar assisted in the procurement of a large amount of ammunition and arms, including improvised explosive device materials, at the direction of Isnilon Hapilon, Islamic State’s anointed “emir” in Southeast Asia.

To recall, the Philippine military scored a major victory when they killed Hapilon in a targeted operation last October amid slow progress in retaking the principal Islamic city of Marawi from pro-ISIS militants that laid siege to it with ease on May 23 last year.

Marawi was liberated from terrorists after five months of fighting that gave state forces, who have far more experience in jungle combat, their first taste of urban warfare.

Aside from Abubakar, other individuals and entities sanctioned by the US government were Yunus Emre Sakarya and Turkey-based company Profesyoneller Elektronik; and Mohamed Mire Ali Yusuf, who controls Somalia-based Liibaan Trading and Al-Mutafaq Commercial Company that served as a front for ISIS-aligned groups in the Bari region.

“The Administration is committed to defeating ISIS wherever it operates, denigrating its illicit revenue streams, and pursuing all financial conduits,” said Sigal Mandelker, US treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

“Each individual and entity targeted has contributed to the spread of ISIS’s terror reach in their respective corner of the world. Treasury will continue to relentlessly target ISIS support networks, and ensure that the U.S. and international financial systems are not being exploited by terror operatives,” she added.

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