Washington, June 22 (IANS) The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three individuals and six entities across Europe, the Middle East and West Africa, accusing them of helping the Islamic State (ISIS) move money across borders and sustain its global operations.
Announcing the action, the U.S. State Department said the sanctions target a network stretching from France and Syria to Türkiye and Nigeria, as the Trump administration seeks to disrupt the terrorist group’s financial infrastructure.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States is dismantling ISIS’s ability to finance terrorism around the world,” State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
“We are cutting off the financial lifelines from around the world that enable ISIS to fund attacks, support its regional affiliates, and threaten civilians, including religious minorities,” he added.
According to the State Department, the designations target “three individuals and six entities operating across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa who have enabled ISIS to move money across borders – exposing a network that spans from France and Syria to Türkiye and Nigeria.”
Among those sanctioned is a France-based facilitator identified as Miloud Abderrahmane. U.S. authorities said he provided information concerning the use of explosives to ISIS supporters and used digital currency channels linked to the terrorist group.
Another individual, Abdelhakim Boukich, based in Syria, was accused of using cryptocurrency to transfer funds on behalf of ISIS associates operating in multiple countries, including the United States.
The third individual, Nigerian national Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad, was identified as a facilitator linked to ISIS-West Africa. The State Department said his money exchange businesses served as conduits for terrorist financing.
The Treasury Department simultaneously designated six entities allegedly connected to ISIS financing networks. They include two Türkiye-based money transfer and trading firms, Alkaram Danismanlik Gayrimenkul Ic ve Dis Genel Ticaret Limited Sirketi and Spider Gayrimenkul ve Genel Ticaret Limited Sirketi.
Also sanctioned was Bitcoin Exchange Agent Idlib’s No.1 Coin Exchange, a Syria-based cryptocurrency exchange that U.S. authorities say was linked to ISIS financial activities.
Three Nigeria-based financial firms — Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited, Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited and Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited — were also added to the sanctions list because of their alleged links to Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad.
The State Department said the latest action reflects continued pressure on ISIS as the group increasingly relies on intermediaries and decentralised networks to move funds internationally.
“These actions reflect the United States’ unrelenting pressure on ISIS, which continues to decentralise its operations and rely on financial intermediaries to connect its global network,” Pigott said.
The statement also highlighted growing U.S.-Nigeria counterterrorism cooperation.
“The United States also reaffirms its strong partnership with Nigeria, which joined the United States in the May 16, 2026, operation that resulted in the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the number two official in ISIS,” the statement said.
Pigott said Washington would continue using “every diplomatic and legal tool available to hold ISIS and its supporters accountable – wherever they operate and however they move money”.
“We remain fully committed to protecting American lives, defending religious minorities, and working with international partners to eliminate the threat that ISIS poses to global peace and security,” he added.
–IANS
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