Ahrar al-Sharqiya sanctions mark new Turkey strategy: American think tank
WHASHINGTON, USA (North Press) – On Wednesday, the American Foundation for Defense of Democracies stated that sanctions applied to the Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction by the United States Department of the Treasury last week symbolize “a new era of America’s approach to Ankara’s support for extremists.”
On July 28, the US Department of the Treasury announced a new package of sanctions targeting entities affiliated with Syrian intelligence services and a Turkish-backed armed opposition faction.
The article published by the Treasury considered this designation as an unprecedented US position regarding Ankara’s open sympathy for extremists and its permissive stance towards terrorist financing in Turkey.
The designation of Ahrar al-Sharqiya marks the sixth time in under three years that the Treasury has targeted militant groups based in or otherwise linked to Turkey. On the same day, the department also imposed sanctions on Hasan al-Shaban, whom the Treasury identified as a “Turkey-based financial facilitator for al-Qaeda.”
In January, the Treasury’s Office of Inspector General reported that ISIS often relies on “logistical hubs in Turkey” to transfer funds internationally, especially between Iraq and Syria.
According to the inspector general, ISIS has “as much as $100 million available in cash reserves dispersed across the region.”
This designation of a Turkish proxy reflects the Biden administration’s firmer stance toward Ankara’s misconduct in Syria.
The designation of the faction was always faced by “fierce resistance from officials in the Trump administration,” which delayed Ahrar al-Sharqiya’s designation, according to the State Department’s 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report released last month.
The report also indicated a greater readiness to confront Erdogan over human rights.
The report called out Ankara for providing “tangible support” to the SNA’s Sultan Murad Division (Division 24), implicated in the unlawful recruitment of child soldiers.
Turkey is the only NATO member the State Department has ever listed pursuant to the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008.