21 February 2022
The Council today decided to add two groups and two individuals linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIL/Da’esh operating in Afghanistan and the neighbouring region to the EU sanctions regime.
The measures target ‘Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent’ (AQIS – a regional branch of Al-Qaeda) and its leader Osama Mahmood, as well as Aziz Azam, spokesperson of ‘ISIL-K’ (Islamic State’s Khorasan Province) and ‘Da’esh – Hind Province’, which is an ISIL/Da’esh-affiliated group operating in India.
The sanctioned individuals and entities are involved in planning and executing terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries. They therefore pose a serious and continued threat to regional and international stability. Through their propaganda activities, they have also played a key role in promoting Al-Qaeda’s and Da’esh’s violent jihadist ideology and in inciting terrorist acts in support of these organisations.
With these new measures, a total of eight individuals will now be subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze, and two entities to an asset freeze. In addition, EU persons and entities will be forbidden from making funds available to listed individuals and entities.
Today’s decision confirms the EU’s unwavering resolve to combat the enduring terrorist threat posed by Da’esh, Al-Qaeda and their regional affiliates. The EU remains committed to taking decisive action against those who continue to threaten international peace and security by planning, financing and committing terrorist attacks, and by spreading their deadly terrorist propaganda around the world.
The EU has been able to autonomously adopt restrictive measures against ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda, and persons, groups, undertakings and entities associated with them, since September 2016. The EU sanctions regime is independent from, but complementary to, the regime allowing for sanctions to be adopted at UN level.
The relevant legal acts, including the names of the persons concerned, will be published in the Official Journal.
- Official Journal of the EU, 21 February 2022 (including a list of the sanctioned individuals and entities)
- EU fight against terrorism: one person added to the ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida list (press release, 15 April 2021)
- ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaeda: sanctions regime prolonged until 31 October 2022 (press release, 18 October 2021)