U.S. Treasury Sanctions 3 Kuwait-Based Financiers for Alleged Terrorism Funding

Marks Obama Administration's Growing Concern About Kuwait's Links to Terrorist Groups

By Jay Solomon WSJ
Updated Aug. 6, 2014 6:54 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The Treasury Department sanctioned three Kuwait-based financiers on Wednesday for allegedly funding extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, underscoring the Obama administration's growing concern about Kuwaitis' links to al Qaeda and other terror groups.

The Treasury Department's counterterrorism arm has grown increasingly vocal in recent months about Kuwaitis' alleged role in raising funds for such groups, specifically those known as the Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State, through social media and other financing channels.

The Treasury Department's top counterterrorism official, David Cohen, called on Kuwait to do more to combat the financing of terrorism from inside its borders.

"We and our international partners, including the Kuwaiti government, need to act more urgently and effectively to disrupt these foreign terrorist financing efforts," Mr. Cohen said.

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