The U.S. and six Gulf countries imposed sanctions on three individuals funding ISIS operations in Somalia and parts of Africa.
Abdullahi Mohamed Yusuf, ISIS-Somalia’s financial chief, leads the network raising millions via extortion to support attacks across Somalia and neighboring countries.
Sanctions freeze their U.S.-based assets and ban Americans from business with them, aiming to disrupt ISIS’s regional financial flows.
Other sanctioned individuals include a DRC-based financer linked to a 2021 Kampala bombing and a South African facilitator involved in kidnappings.
ISIS-Somalia mainly operates in Puntland’s mountains, funding its activities through extortion and targeted violence against local communities.
Puntland’s ongoing Operation Hilaac targets ISIS bases, killing dozens of militants and reclaiming key territory to restore regional stability.
The Terrorist Financing Targeting Center, including the U.S. and Gulf states, coordinates these sanctions to cut extremist funding in East Africa.
