US designates senior ISIS-Somalia financier

TORONTO

The US is designating Abdiweli Mohamed Yusuf, the head of finance for ISIS-Somalia, according to a statement Thursday by the State Department.

ISIS-Somalia is an ISIS affiliate in Africa that generates revenue ISIS distributes across the continent, and "engages in extortion of financial institutions, local businesses, and mobile money service providers, exploiting vulnerabilities in Somalia’s institutions to finance its activities, including through mobile money and hawalas," it said.

The US is committed to using its authority in support of the Somali government and its efforts to counter terror financing activities that undermine Somalia’s national security and threaten regional stability.

The action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended, which targets terror groups and their supporters, the statement added.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from the al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups.

Since 2007, ISIS-Somalia has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.