WASHINGTON, March 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned three Syrian officials, including the defense minister, for their roles in the regime's violence against civilians.
Defense Minister Dawood Rajiha, army Deputy Chief of Staff Munir Adanov and Presidential Security Chief Zuhayr Shalish received the designations under an executive order that, in general, prohibits U.S. individuals from engaging in transactions with any designees and freezes any assets the targets may have subject to U.S. jurisdiction, the department said Friday in a release.
Treasury officials said Rajiha was appointed defense minister in August, reportedly chosen for his loyalty to the regime of President Bashar Assad.
Adanov was sanctioned by the European Union in August for his direct involvement in "repression and violence against the civilian population in Syria," the department said.
Shalish, who has served as Assad's personal bodyguard, also was sanctioned by the European Union in July for his involvement in "violence against demonstrators," Treasury officials said.
"The U.S. and the international community will hold to account those who stand with the Assad regime as it trains the instruments of war against Syrian civilians," Under-Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said. "The time has long since passed for Syrian officials at all levels to turn their backs on this bloody regime."
