Money to Terrorists Still Flowing

The U.S.-led effort to stem the flow of money to al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations is foundering — due in large part to a lack of cooperation from other countries.

“Al-Qaida, the Taliban and other terrorist groups continue to have access to the funds they need for active and expanded indoctrination, recruitment, maintenance, armament and operations,” Victor Comras, a former United Nations terrorism finance official told the Los Angeles Times.

In the Middle East and elsewhere, nations have resisted American pressure to identify sources of terrorist financing, according to the Times.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other countries have not taken steps to stem the flow of funds to terrorists. Saudi Arabia has yet to implement many of the financial reforms to detect suspicious financial transactions that it promised to enact in 2003.

Other countries, including Afghanistan and several African nations, lack the financial resources to effectively investigate and identify terrorist funding.

Immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Treasury Department began freezing the assets of individuals and organizations with suspected ties to al-Qaida, the Taliban and other groups.

But more recently American and even United Nations designations of terrorist funding sources have slowed to a trickle, the Times reports.

To bolster anti-terrorist funding efforts, a Defense Department report issued in June recommended the establishment of a single agency that would coordinate all U.S. agencies dealing with the problem and report directly to the White House.

The report stated: “To be successful, the U.S. must address the problem … under the guidance and leadership of one overarching organization.”