In a unified move aimed at dismantling the financial networks of Al-Shabaab, the United States and six Gulf nations have imposed sanctions on 15 high-ranking members and key financial facilitators of the militant group. This coordinated action targets Al-Shabaab’s funding channels across southern Somalia, as part of a broader strategy to weaken the group’s capacity to launch attacks and destabilize the region.

The sanctions were announced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in collaboration with the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), based in Riyadh. This marks the eighth collective action by the TFTC, which comprises the U.S., Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The newly imposed sanctions freeze any assets held by these individuals within TFTC member states and cut off their access to the global financial system.

Many of the individuals named are senior commanders or enforcers involved in operating a parallel economy in areas such as Lower Shabelle, Lower Juba, and Middle Juba. They are accused of funding Al-Shabaab’s operations through illicit taxation, abductions, livestock extortion, and orchestrating the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against Somali and African Union forces.

Among those designated is Hasaan Abshir Xuuroow, identified as a senior intelligence and finance officer within Al-Shabaab. Authorities report he has spearheaded extortion operations in Kismayo, pressuring civilians to “donate” livestock, which he then resold for personal gain. Another individual, Aadan Yusuf Saciid Ibrahim, is said to have imposed exorbitant fees on market vendors in Lower Shabelle—an area where residents claim they are forced to pay taxes both to the state and to Al-Shabaab.

Also sanctioned is Mumin Dheere, a former deputy emir of Wayanta in Lower Juba. He is believed to have organized retaliatory attacks using vehicle-borne IEDs and mortars, including a planned strike on KismayoInternational Airport. Dheere reportedly worked in close coordination with other senior leaders, such as Macalin Burhan, the Hisbah police chief for the region, who has been linked to the imprisonment of numerous civilians.

Additional individuals on the list include Ali Ahmed Hussein, an emir in Lower Shabelle accused of managing arms deals and abductions; Mohamed Abdullah Hirey, who serves as Al-Shabaab’s governor of the Juba region; and Ahmed Kabadhe, the former emir of Jubaland, alleged to have repeatedly ordered assaults on Somali security personnel. The list also features other key operatives such as Maxamed Cali, Siyaat Ayuto, SiciidAbdullahi Aadan, and Cumar Guhaad, all of whom are reportedly involved in the group’s taxation systems, detention networks, and explosives logistics.