Turkey freezes assets of ISIL and al-Qaeda-linked individuals, organizations

Turkey has frozen the assets of 13 people and seven organizations over links to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Qaeda, the Kronos news website reported, citing a government decision that was published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday.

People and organizations whose assets have been frozen under Law No. 6415 on the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism are allowed to challenge the action and file a lawsuit at an Ankara High Criminal Court, the decision, bearing the signatures of Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, said. 

The decision listed the names of eight people and five organizations accused of links to ISIL as well as five people and two organizations with alleged links to al-Qaeda.

The Yeşil Sancak Culture and Research Association, an İstanbul-based aid group established in 2019, is among the organizations whose assets have been frozen.

The individuals and entities targeted are from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey.

Turkey declared ISIL a terrorist organization in 2013 and has been attacked by the jihadist group multiple times since then. A total of 315 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb blasts and four armed attacks organized by ISIL in the country.

A 2020 report by the US Department of Defense inspector general had said Turkey is still a transit country for logistics, finance and weapons for ISIL despite the country’s efforts to step up the crackdown on the terrorist organization. The 136-page report, submitted to the US Congress, included the claim, based on remarks from the US European Command, that Turkey is still used as a base by ISIL, particularly for money transfers.

Last September, the US Treasury placed five Turkish-based al-Qaeda facilitators and financiers on its sanctions blacklist as it focused its attention on the extremist group’s network in the country.