EU updates Al-Qaida sanctions list for the 362nd time

The European Commission has amended the EU’s asset-freeze list of persons and entities associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida, updating the identifying data of one listed group. The change is made by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2287 of 8 October 2026, published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series) on 9 October 2026. It follows a decision taken by the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 Committee on 28 September 2026.

The regulation is the 362nd amendment to Council Regulation (EC) No 881/2002 of 27 May 2002, the instrument imposing specific restrictive measures against persons and entities associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida. Annex I to that regulation lists the persons, groups and entities covered by the freezing of funds and economic resources. The Commission acted under Article 7(1), point (a), and Article 7a(5) of the regulation.

The UN committee, acting under Resolutions 1267(1999), 1989(2011) and 2253(2015), decided to amend the identifying data for one entry on its list. The Commission states that Annex I “should therefore be amended accordingly”.

What the amendment changes

The Annex to the new regulation replaces the entry under the heading “Legal persons, groups and entities” for KHATIBA AL-TAWHID WAL-JIHAD (KTJ) with a revised entry for KHATIBA JAMA’AT AL-TAWHID WAL-JIHAD (KTJ), including a new rendering in original script.

The updated entry retains the following identifiers:

Aliases: JANNAT OSHIKLARI, Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad.
Former name: Jannat Oshiklari.
Address: not available.

Profile of the listed group

The regulation restates the group’s operational profile, unchanged in substance from the previous entry:

It is described as a terrorist organisation operating under the umbrella of the international terrorist organisation Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant.
It mainly operates in the Syrian provinces of Hama, Idlib and Ladhiqiyah, and also conducts operations in Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
The number of its fighters is estimated at about 500.
It cooperates with organisations such as Khatiba Imam al-Bukhari and the Islamic Jihad Group.
The date of designation referred to in Article 7d(2)(i) is 7 March 2022.

Entry into force and legal effect

Article 1 of the regulation amends Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 881/2002 in accordance with the attached Annex. Under Article 2, the regulation enters into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal, that is, on 10 October 2026.

The regulation is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. It was done at Brussels on 8 October 2026 and signed on behalf of the President by the Director-General of the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union.

The practical consequence for readers is immediate: the funds and economic resources of the renamed group remain frozen, and the updated identifiers mean banks, companies and other operators must refresh their screening lists to match the new name and aliases. Making funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly, to the group or to anyone acting on its behalf remains prohibited across the EU. The amendment also illustrates the steady tempo of EU alignment with UN sanctions decisions, with this being the 362nd revision of the same 2002 regulation.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, No 2026/2287, 9 October 2026, p. 1 (official reference: CELEX 32026R2287).