Washington, DC - The Department of State has designated Hajji ‘Abd al-Nasir as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.
Today’s designation seeks to deny al-Nasir the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks. Among other consequences, all of his property and interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him.
Hajji ‘Abd al-Nasir has held several leadership positions in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and SDGT. Within the past five years, al-Nasir has served as an ISIS Military Amir in Syria as well as chair of the ISIS Delegated Committee, the council that reports to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and exercises administrative control of the terrorist organization’s affairs. The Delegated Committee is responsible for planning and issuing orders related to ISIS’s military operations, tax collections, religious police, and commercial and security operations.
“ISIS is down but not out,” said Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State. “As ISIS continues to lose ground on the battlefield, we must starve it of the resources it uses to commit terrorism around the world. Today’s designation is another step towards ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
Today’s action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Hajji ‘Abd al-Nasir has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate them, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and governments. Additionally, in a coordinated global action taken yesterday, the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 ISIL and al-Qa’ida Sanction Committee added al-Nasir to its Sanctions List, subjecting al-Nasir to an international asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo.