“Raf”, Tamim’s arm to fund extremists in Syria.
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Roshan Amiri
- . March 5, 2020
- . Update: March 5, 2020 1:05 pm
Qatar is still hiding behind charitable societies, relief organizations and humanitarian aid to finance extremist groups in different regions of the world. Intelligence sources revealed that the RAF terrorist organization is using its work as a Qatari relief agency and a development organization as a cover to fund extremist groups in Syria, especially the Idlib countryside.
The sources confirmed that the institution, headed by Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani, brother of the Emir of Qatar, had funded the Al-Nusra Front, the current name of the group known for its ties to al-Qaeda, with about $ 130 million.
A report published by Middle East Online revealed that Qatar has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to extremist groups and terrorist organizations through its charities.
The report pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a political and economic boycott on Qatar in June 2017 against the background of allegations that Doha was supporting terrorism, in order to destabilize Arab countries and assert their authority in the region.
The Qatari Foundation has transferred millions of dollars to the Al-Nusra Front, now known as the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham, and the Qatari government has acted as a mediator on other occasions to negotiate a ransom payment for the release of Western hostages held by the Al-Nusra Front, between 2012 and 2015, Qatar has negotiated a ransom payment to the Nusra Front with tens of millions of dollars in exchange for the release of European citizens, according to a US court document.
The report stated that Qatar provided financial aid and weapons to groups linked to al-Qaeda in Syria, while providing shelter for Muslim Brotherhood leaders, the Taliban and Hamas, and among the charitable organizations suspected of sponsoring extremists is the Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services, which is based in Qatar and is known as “RAF”, whose name has been linked to financing Syrian armed groups and hosting supporters of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. One of the financiers of Al-Nusra Front was identified His name is included in the terrorist list Muhammad Jassem Al-Sulaiti as a member of the RAF Foundation, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain included him in the lists of anti-terrorism in June 2017 for his support of armed groups in Syrian Idlib with Qatari financial and military funding.
Muhammad Jassim al-Sulaiti, who is identified as a member of the Raf Foundation, is a leader of the Al-Nusra Front. One of the aides of Muhammad Turki al-Subaie was on the terrorist lists. Perhaps the most interesting thing, according to the US Treasury Department, is that al-Subai’i was “a diplomatic and communication channel between al-Qaeda and third parties in the Middle East.” When the United Nations imposed sanctions on al-Subai’i, approved these details.
Al-Sulaiti’s links to al-Qaeda were not limited to his work, not only for al-Subaie. In September 2014, he apparently supervised fundraising efforts for rebel forces in Syria, and in fact the donations were in favor of the al Qaeda branch in the country – the Nusra Front – now known as the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham.
The Raf Foundation also includes Nabil Al-Awadhi, a fundraising partner for Shafi bin Sultan Al-Ajmi, the terrorist financier of Al Qaeda listed on the terrorist lists by the United States and the United Nations, and he sponsored and supervised the campaigns of the Rav Foundation, and participated in many events organized by Rav.
Wajdi Ghoneim, who collects donations jointly with the al-Qaeda financiers appointed by the United Nations, Saad bin Saad Al Kaabi and Abdul Latif bin Abdullah Al Kuwari, as guest lecturer in a number of RAF Foundation activities in Qatar to raise funds to support RAF Foundation activities in Syria.
Intelligence sources point to the RAF Foundation’s ties to the Turkish Red Crescent in supporting Syrian groups with money and weapons. It is reported that the Foundation directed $ 130 million through the Turkish Red Crescent to the Nusra Front / Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham, under the cover of humanitarian aid. It is alleged that this “humanitarian aid” included weapons.
According to reports, the links of the Raf Foundation to Sunni extremists and extremist Shiite groups controlled by Iran extended during the Syrian crisis, Qatar paid a number of ransoms under the pretext of liberating Western hostages, but it appeared that they were disguised payments to the Al-Nusra Front, and there was such a push that includes the Al-Nusra Front and its close ally Ahrar al-Sham amounted to nearly a billion dollars, which affected both Syria and Iraq, and the money settled in the hands of both Sunni extremists in the Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham, and extremist Shiite groups controlled by Iran.
The RAF Foundation is suspected of supporting and financing extremist groups and tribal ethnic conflicts from Darfur to Port Sudan.
According to sources, the RAF Foundation spent $ 37 million to support fighters in Sudan belonging to terrorist groups also supported by the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to the Turkish newspaper “Ahwal”, the RAF Foundation uses bank accounts to receive money in Qatari banks, including Al Rayan Bank and Qatar Islamic Bank, who are facing corruption cases and charges of financing terrorism. Al Rayan Bank is already under investigation in Britain against the background of accusations of money laundering and terrorist financing since August 2019.
