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US Says it and Türkiye Are Sanctioning ISIS-linked Human-smuggling Group

Security forces arrested 49 ISIS members in Ankara, Türkiye. (Reuters)
Security forces arrested 49 ISIS members in Ankara, Türkiye. (Reuters)
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US Says it and Türkiye Are Sanctioning ISIS-linked Human-smuggling Group

Security forces arrested 49 ISIS members in Ankara, Türkiye. (Reuters)
Security forces arrested 49 ISIS members in Ankara, Türkiye. (Reuters)

The United States and Türkiye are working together to crack down on a human smuggling network linked to the ISIS militant movement, the US Treasury Department said on Friday.

After a probe closely coordinated with Ankara, Washington imposed sanctions on four individuals, three of whom were involved in the network, it said in a statement.

"As a result of this close cooperation, (Türkiye) is concurrently taking its own domestic action against this network," it said. The statement did not say how long the group had been operating or how many people it had smuggled.

In May, Turkish authorities said they had detained 41 people suspected of having ties to ISIS in operations across 12 provinces.
ISIS controlled one third of Iraq and Syria at its 2014 peak and though beaten back, it continues to wage insurgent attacks.

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Kremlin Says Various Conditions Must Be Met Before Black Sea Security Deal Can Be Activated 

Cars drive in front of Moscow's Kremlin along Tverskaya street in Moscow, Russia, 21 March 2025. (EPA) 
Cars drive in front of Moscow's Kremlin along Tverskaya street in Moscow, Russia, 21 March 2025. (EPA) 
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Kremlin Says Various Conditions Must Be Met Before Black Sea Security Deal Can Be Activated 

Cars drive in front of Moscow's Kremlin along Tverskaya street in Moscow, Russia, 21 March 2025. (EPA) 
Cars drive in front of Moscow's Kremlin along Tverskaya street in Moscow, Russia, 21 March 2025. (EPA) 

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a number of conditions must be met before a Black Sea maritime security deal negotiated with the United States can be activated, pointing to an earlier agreement which it said saw Moscow's needs ignored.

The United States reached separate deals on Tuesday with Ukraine and Russia to cease fighting in the Black Sea and pause attacks against energy targets, with Washington agreeing to push to lift some sanctions against Moscow.

While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanctions, Moscow has said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have amounted to a barrier to shipments.

Russia wants the reconnection of its state agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT international payments system. That and other steps could require agreement from European countries.

"As for the Black Sea grain initiative, it can be activated after a number of conditions are implemented," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"These are the same conditions that were included in the (original) Black Sea Initiative...all the conditions of which were fulfilled except for those concerning the Russian side. So, of course, this time round justice must prevail and we will continue our work with the Americans."

Moscow in 2023 withdrew from the original deal, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye in 2022, complaining that obstacles to its own food and fertilizer exports had not been eased as promised under the terms of that agreement.