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US Action Against IS Financier Shows Jihadists' Cash Flow Continues from
Turkey

Namo Abdulla

   WASHINGTON - The U.S. designation last week of a new Turkey-based
   member of the notorious Rawi Network for allegedly facilitating money
   transfers to the Islamic State (IS) in Syria has raised fresh concerns
   among observers that jihadists continue to use Turkey to fund their
   activities in Syria.

   The Rawi Network, founded by an Iraqi family, has been known to the
   U.S. government for decades. In the 1990s, it was accused of using
   informal payment systems to help Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq evade
   international sanctions by buying and selling oil without reliance on
   formal banking systems.

   The Rawis returned to the spotlight in November 2019 when the U.S.
   [1]Department of the Treasury blacklistedsix of their members who had
   operated companies in Iraq, Turkey and Belgium. The companies,
   registered as everyday money exchange and transfer businesses, were
   used to provide a mechanism for IS's global sympathizers to fund the
   extremist group's operations in Iraq and Syria.

   Last Tuesday, the Treasury sanctioned another man in the family named
   Adnan Muhammad Amin al-Rawi and described him as an IS facilitator in
   Turkey.

   "Al-Rawi has materially assisted, sponsored or provided financial,
   material or technological support" for IS, according to the [2]Treasury
   statement,adding that the radical group's former finance emir, Fawaz
   al-Rawi, who was reportedly killed in a 2017 coalition airstrike,
   belonged to the same family.

   While the Rawis have long been a familiar name to governments, analysts
   say the most recent designation raises questions on why they have
   continued to be able to operate in Turkey as a member of the U.S.-led
   Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG). The Turkish government did not reply
   to VOA's requests for comment on the matter.

   "These designations targeting the Rawi Network and others reflect the
   extent to which various jihadist groups have exploited Turkey's
   permissive environment," said Aykan Erdemir, a former Turkish lawmaker
   who is currently a Turkey expert with Washington, D.C.-based Foundation
   for the Defense of Democracies (FDD).

   "Turkey is the only NATO member state that has repeatedly become a
   target of Treasury sanctions, a sign that Ankara is either negligent or
   lenient in its treatment of jihadist entities and individuals," Erdemir
   added.

   In April 2019, the Treasury sanctioned [3]four Turkish companies for
   providing financial support to IS.

References

   1. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm657
   2. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1070
   3. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-blacklists-four-turkish-companies-for-aiding-isis-11574110776

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