Washington, March 26: The US Treasury Department has announced new financial sanctions targeting Muthanna Harith al-Dari, an influential Iraqi figure who is known for his criticism of the presence of American troops in his war-torn country.
In a statement, the Treasury Department accused Dari of trying from August 2008 to “reinvigorate the insurgency in Iraq by providing training to any insurgent organization” targeting foreign troops.
The sanctions freeze any US assets belonging to Dari, and prohibit US citizens from doing business with him.
The Treasury said it had also partnered with Iraq’s government to add Dari to the United Nations 1267 Committee list of Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked individuals and entities.
It said Dari provided one million dollars to Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) member who recruited and trained fighters, and funded a group which used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in attacks on Coalition Forces.
The Treasury said Dari also funded another cell, plus his own insurgent group the 1920s Revolutionary Brigade.
Dari is a former spokesman of the Sunni Muslim Scholars’ Association, a organization formed shortly after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that sought to defend the rights of Sunni Muslims.
His father was chief of the organization.
—Agencies