U.S. Department of the Treasury

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today to disrupt al-Nusrah Front’s military, recruitment, and financing operations.  Specifically, OFAC designated four key al-Nusrah Front leaders – Abdallah Muhammad Bin-Sulayman al-Muhaysini, Jamal Husayn Zayniyah, Abdul Jashari, and Ashraf Ahmad Fari al-Allak – pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.  As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of these designated individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

 

These designations were taken in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, which today named Jabhat Fath al Sham as an alias of al-Nusrah Front – al-Qa’ida’s affiliate in Syria.  

 

“From recruiting fighters to raising funds, these sanctioned individuals are responsible for providing key financial and logistical support to al-Nusrah Front,” said John E. Smith, Acting OFAC Director.  “Treasury will continue to target al-Nusrah Front’s financial networks and choke off their access to the international financial system.”

           

Abdallah Muhammad Bin-Sulayman al-Muhaysini

 

Abdallah Muhammad Bin-Sulayman al-Muhaysini was designated for acting for or on behalf of, and providing support and services to or in support of, al-Nusrah Front.

 

As of late 2015, al-Muhaysini was an accepted member of al-Nusrah Front’s inner leadership circle.  As of July 2015, Abdallah al-Muhaysini served as al-Nusrah Front’s religious advisor and represented al-Nusrah Front in an Idlib Province, Syria, military operations room.  He has been involved in recruiting fighters to join al-Nusrah Front and helping to form a new al-Nusrah Front “state” in northern Syria.  In April 2016, Muhaysini launched a campaign to recruit 3,000 child and teenage soldiers across northern Syria for al-Nusrah Front.

 

Al-Muhaysini has played a crucial role in providing financial aid to al-Nusrah Front.  Between 2013 and 2015, al-Muhaysini raised millions of dollars to support al-Nusrah Front governance efforts in Idlib Province, Syria.  As of early October 2015, al-Muhaysini had set up institutions providing financial aid to terrorist groups, including a highly successful campaign that he claimed had secured $5 million in donations to arm fighters. 

 

Jamal Husayn Zayniyah

 

Jamal Husayn Zayniyah was designated for acting for or on behalf of al-Nusrah Front.

 

As of late 2015, Zayniyah was al-Nusrah Front’s emir of al-Qalamun, Syria and Lebanon.  As al-Nusrah Front’s emir of al-Qalamun, Zayniyah was responsible for planning operations in al-Qalamun and Lebanon.  Zayniyah was also responsible for al-Nusrah Front’s abduction of a group of Christian nuns in Ma'alula, Damascus Province, Syria.  As of mid-2015, Zayniyah had established himself as an intermediary for the negotiations over hostages, including 16 Lebanese soldiers, held by al-Nusrah Front.

 

Abdul Jashari 

 

Abdul Jashari was designated for acting for or on behalf of al-Nusrah Front.

 

Jashari is a Syria-based al-Nusrah Front military advisor who has also helped to raise funds for the families of al-Nusrah Front fighters.  During the summer of 2015, Jashari led al-Nusrah Front military operations in northern Syria.  Previously, during the summer of 2014, al-Nusrah Front emir and SDGT Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani appointed Jashari as leader of al-Nusrah Front’s military operations.

 

Ashraf Ahmad Fari al-Allak

 

Ashraf Ahmad Fari al-Allak was designated for acting for or on behalf of al-Nusrah Front.

 

As of April 2016, al-Allak was an al-Nusrah Front military commander in Dara Province, Syria.  He has provided support to al-Nusrah Front military operations in southern Syria by mobilizing al-Nusrah Front fighters and weapons.  He has also served as the al-Nusrah Front emir of Saraya, Syria and Dara City, Syria.

 

For identifying information on the individuals designated today, click here.