Treasury sanctions IS-Somalia weapons traffickers, al-Shabab

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department has announced sanctions against a weapons trafficking network affiliated with the Islamic State group in Somalia and the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which are accused of carrying out deadly terrorist acts on civilians including car bombings. The move to freeze and block potential transactions with U.S. entities comes after two car bombings at a busy junction in Somalia’s capital killed more than 120 people last week. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the Mogadishu attack, saying its objective was to hit the education ministry. These are the first sanctions on Somalia’s Islamic State group from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.