WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (KUNA) -- The US Treasury sanctioned on Tuesday five individuals and entities from Iran and Syria for their role in "threatening peace and stability in Iraq." "These individuals are targeting and planning attacks against innocent Iraqis, the Government of Iraq, Coalition Forces, and U.S. troops. Their lethal and destabilizing tactics, especially by Iran's Qods Force, are intended to undermine Iraq as it strives for peace and prosperity," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey.
"Four of the individuals designated today commit, direct, support, or pose a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Iraqi citizens, Iraqi government officials, and Coalition Forces," said a statement released by US Treasury.
One of the five individuals is a member of Irans Qods Force, the arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG).
The US Treasury noted that Qods Force is "responsible for providing material support to Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command." "The Qods Force provides lethal support in the form of weapons, training, funding, and guidance to select groups of Iraqi Shia militants who target and kill Coalition and Iraqi forces and Iraqi civilians," added the statement. The Qods Force has been already designated as a terrorist group by the Treasury Department on October 25, 2007, also under Executive Order 13438.
The Syrian based individuals and entities, says the US Treasury, "act for and on behalf of, or are owned and controlled by Mishan al-Jaburi, who was sanctioned last January, for providing financial, material, and technical support for acts of violence that threaten the peace and stability of Iraq." The US Treasury says that Abdul Reza Shahlai, deputy commander of Qods Force, planned and provided logistics for the attacks of Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) against Coalition Forces in Iraq "In late-August 2006, Shahlai instructed a senior Lebanese Hezbollah official to coordinate anti-aircraft rocket training for JAM Special Groups," added the statement.
Akram Abbas al-Kaabi is accused of paying around USD 40,000 for JAM last April and carrying attacks on coalition forces.
Harith Sulayman al-Dari was plotting for the assassination of the commander of US forces in Iraq in addition to US and British Ambassador to Iraq, and the Treasury says that he travelled across the region to gather donations "for two Sunni terrorist groups in Iraq." Ahmad Hassan al-Ubaydi was described as a former Baath Party official in Iraq and was directly involved in the assassination of Iraqi Kurds in Kirkuk last October.
The individuals and entities based in Syria are a Syrian woman named Rawa al-Osta in addition to al-Ray Satellite Television Channel and Suraqiya for Media and Broadcasting, owned by al-Jaburi. (end) jm.rk KUNA 161940 Sep 08NNNN