US sanctions 'IS' members

The US Treasury Department said on Tuesday it was sanctioning several leading members of the organization calling itself the "Islamic State," or "IS." In addition, the State Department announced it had designated 10 other individuals and five other groups as terrorists.

The move by Washington marks its most concerted effort yet to disrupt the international terror network's considerable financial resources.

"Treasury remains relentless about depleting ISIL's financial strength and denying this violent terrorist group access to the international financial system," said Adam J. Szubin, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, according to Reuters. ISIL is an alternate reference to the terrorist group.

In total, 25 individuals and 5 groups were targeted by the Treasury and State departments. The organizations designated as terror groups are based in various places across the globe, from Russia's Caucasus region to Indonesia, highlighting what many see as IS's growing influence abroad. On Tuesday, the House Homeland Security Committee released a report claiming the US has been failing to stop the flow of foreign fighters determined to join terrorist groups.

Among the individuals sanctioned were citizens from France, Britain and Russia. Moscow, Paris and other governments assisted the U.S. in providing information, according to the Associated Press news agency.

The sanctions are expected to deal the individuals and groups an important financial blow, according to Daniel Glaser, the Treasury Department's assistant secretary for terrorist financing.

"These sanctions will prevent them from engaging in financial transactions and make it harder for them to travel," he said.

Glaser went on to explain that while the move by Washington will not cut off much of IS's revenue, which is primarily generated internally, it will prevent the group from obtaining essential supplies necessary for both governing a state and fighting wars.

The sanctions were announced before a meeting between US President Barack Obama and other world leaders regarding IS on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

In spite of fierce international opposition, IS has remained relatively prosperous financially, thanks to a large smuggling network in the Middle East. According to the AP, Glaser claimed earlier this summer that IS was making as much as $500 million (445 million euros) each year from oil sales.

France calls on Russia to do more

Earlier at the UN, Obama met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing efforts to destroy IS. After the meeting, Putin said he was open to working with the US in coordinating airstrikes against the group, but said he had ruled out the possibility of sending in ground troops.

One French official voiced criticism of Russia's lack of involvement in the war against IS. Laurent Fabius, the country's foreign minister, told reporters in New York that Russia had stood by the sidelines while other countries had engaged in airstrikes.

"If it (Russia) is against the terrorists, it's not abnormal to launch strikes against them," he said, according to Reuters.

He was not the only one to take aim at Russia. According to AFP, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite blasted a speech Putin gave to the UN General Assembly as 'neo-Stalinist.' In the address, Putin reaffirmed his support for the embattled president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad.

blc/kms (AP, Reuters, AFP)