U.S.-designated ISIS-K financer operates in Turkey under multiple names
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A key member of the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) has been secretly operating in Turkey using various false identities to fund and transport militants for the group, a non-profit organization said on Monday.
The Nordic Research Monitoring Network (Nordic Monitor) obtained confidential information indicating that Ismatullah Khalozai has been using Turkey as a base for transporting money and militants for the group.
Khalozi was designated by the U.S. Treasury as an international facilitator for ISIS-K on Nov. 22, 2021.
Turkish authorities were familiar with Khalozai’s activities with the group, but the Turkish government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, did not freeze his assets until March 23, 2022, only after the U.S. requested it.
Information from Nordic Monitor show that Khalozai was registered as a refugee in at least three different provinces in Turkey.
He used different names for each registration and received a separate national identity number despite fingerprint and biometric checks, raising alarms about Turkey’s role as a crucial logistical hub for ISIS-K activities in Europe.
The U.S. Treasury has stated that he ran a hawala business to send funds for ISIS-K activities in Turkey and for a time in the UAE.
Additionally, he was engaged in human smuggling and once personally helped transport an ISIS-K courier from Afghanistan to Turkey.
In June, the U.N. Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team released a report about ISIS and al-Qaeda. It identified Khalozai as overseeing ISIS-K’s finances in Europe, especially concerning immigrant smuggling.