EU updates sanctions list against ISIL and Al-Qaida for 359th time

The European Commission has adopted Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1960 of 20 August 2026, amending for the 359th time Council Regulation (EC) No 881/2002, which imposes specific restrictive measures against persons and entities associated with the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida organisations. The text was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series) on 21 August 2026 and entered into force the day after publication.

The amendment follows decisions taken on 13 and 14 August 2026 by the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council, acting under Resolutions 1267(1999), 1989(2011) and 2253(2015). It updates the identifying data of several entries in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 881/2002, the list of persons, groups and entities subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources.

Updated natural persons

The identifying data of five natural persons listed under the heading “Natural persons” in Annex I has been amended, adding aliases, dates and places of birth, passport numbers, addresses and other information:

• Mohammed Salahaldin Abd El Halim Zidane, an Egyptian national linked to the security of the late Usama bin Laden, with new aliases including Salem al-Sharif and Abu Khaled al-San’ani.
• Adem Yilmaz, a Turkish national associated with the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), with updated addresses in Istanbul, Türkiye.
• Shafi Sultan Mohammed Sultan Al-Ajmi, a Kuwaiti doctor and fundraiser for the Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, with new passport and national identification numbers.
• Amin Muhammad Ul Haq Saam Khan, an Afghan national and security coordinator for Usama bin Laden, with a new address in Kabul and details of his arrest in Pakistan in 2024.
• Abubakar Swalleh, a Ugandan national acting as an ISIL facilitator in East and Southern Africa, with an additional alias and date of birth.

Updated legal persons and entities

Two entries under the heading “Legal persons, groups and entities” have also been amended:

• Ummah Tameer E-Nau (UTN), an entity banned in Pakistan, with updated addresses in Kabul and Pakistan.
• Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan (ISIL-K), formed on 10 January 2015 by a former Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, with a new alias “Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP)”. ISIL-K has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Scope and entry into force

The Regulation is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States, meaning the freezing of funds and economic resources applies across the whole of the European Union. It was adopted in Brussels on 20 August 2026 and entered into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal.

For readers, this update matters because it keeps the EU’s restrictive measures aligned with the UN sanctions regime, ensuring that the identification data used by banks, authorities and companies to freeze assets remains accurate and enforceable across all Member States.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 21.8.2026 (official reference: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1960, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/2026/1960/oj).