US targets 5 al-Qaeda operatives in Turkey with sanctions

Washington, Sep 16 (AP) US Treasury Department announced sanctions Thursday against five men in Turkey suspected of providing financial services and travel assistance to al-Qaeda.

five are a mix of Turkish and Egyptian nationals who Treasury said provided various forms of support to senior members of organization that carried out 9/11 attacks and or plots against U.S.

Treasury's designation of men freezes any assets y have under U.S. jurisdiction and shuts m out of much of global financial system. It is part of a long-running campaign against support network for al-Qaeda.

U.S. is working with Turkey and or allies as it seeks to “expose and disrupt” organization's support networks, Andrea Gacki, director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in announcing move.

Among those designated are Majdi Salim, an Egyptian born lawyer who agency said is one of primary facilitators of al-Qaida activities in Turkey. U.S. said he is former leer of Egyptian Islamic Jih, after taking over that role from al-Qaeda leer Ayman Zawahiri.

ors were identified as Muhamm Nasr al-Din al-Ghazlani, an Egyptian national; Nurettin Muslihan, a Turkish national; Cebrail Guzel, a Turkish national; and Soner Gurleyen, a Turkish national. (AP) AMS AMS