Tartan Taliban

U.S., Saudis set aside spat over Iran to sanction 'Tartan Taliban' 

By Nahal Toosi

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia, whose relationship has hit a new low during the Obama administration because of differences over Iran, are nonetheless putting up a united front when it comes to sanctioning terrorist networks.

The two countries on Thursday announced a new series of sanctions on four people and two organizations tied to Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the Lashkar-e-Taiba extremist groups. Although not unprecedented, such a bilateral move is relatively rare for Washington and Riyadh, former Obama administration officials and analysts said.

The individuals sanctioned are James Alexander McLintock, Abdul Aziz Nuristani, Naveed Qamar and Muhammad Ijaz Safaras. The Al-Rahmah Welfare Organization and the Jamia Asariya Madrassa are the organizations targeted. The penalties they face include property freezes and prohibitions on transactions with Americans.

“Today’s action marks yet another step in [the Department of] Treasury’s efforts to financially cripple terrorist financiers and demonstrates the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s shared resolve to target those who support terrorism,” said Adam J. Szubin, Treasury's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

Of the people and groups targeted by the sanctions, all of which operate in or have links to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, perhaps the most noteworthy is McLintock. Media reports have described him as a middle-aged, Scottish-born convert to Islam (his nickname is the "Tartan Taliban") with a long history of suspected ties to militant networks.

That Saudi Arabia continues to work with the U.S. on such sanctions underscores the Saudi royal family's worries about the threat that groups like Al Qaeda pose to its rule. The cooperation comes despite Saudi unhappiness with President Barack Obama's decision to agree to a major deal that has given Iran sanctions relief after it curbed its nuclear program.

The sanctions also follow a wave of publicity about how frustrated Obama has been with the Saudis' own religious rigidity, their fears of Iran's rising role in the Middle East and their extraordinary reliance on the United States. The president's criticisms, detailed in a story in The Atlantic, prompted spirited rebuttals by leading Saudi figures.

U.S. officials have long praised what they say is steady and increasing cooperation from the Saudi monarchy on ways to disrupt Islamist terrorists' financial networks. But critics note that private Saudi financiers are still a major source of money for terrorist groups, while the Saudis' extreme interpretation of Islam continues to inspire terrorists worldwide.

Saudi representatives could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

Almost a year ago, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia announced bilateral sanctions against the Al-Furqan Foundation Welfare Trust, which they accused of financing terrorism.

David Mortlock, a former National Security Council official, called the latest round of bilateral sanctions "quite remarkable" and said it could inspire other Gulf Arab states to step up.

"The United States frequently acts together with the European Union or the United Kingdom, but most other countries prefer to act through the U.N. Security Council process for terrorism designations," he said. "Given that most Gulf countries don’t have their own sanctions programs, it sends a strong message to other governments in the region when Saudi is willing to act outside of the U.N. system."

Peter Harrell, a former State Department official now with the Center for a New American Security, noted that in 2014, the Saudis adopted a new terror finance law that made Thursday's actions possible.

"You could say that we are beginning to see payoff from years of slow but relentless U.S. government work with the Saudis on these issues," he said.