Monday, Australia’s DFAT made updates to its Consolidated List based on recommendations by UN committees on Al Qaida (pursuant to resolutions 1267 and 1989). Nothing unusual there – until you see who the UN removed from its list:
QI.B.8.01. Name: 1: USAMA 2: MUHAMMED 3: AWAD 4: BIN LADEN
Title: a) Shaykh b) Hajj Designation: na DOB: a) 30 Jul. 1957 b) 28 Jul. 1957 c) 10 Mar. 1957 d) 1 Jan. 1957 e) 1956 f) 1957 POB: a) Jeddah, Saudi Arabia b)
Yemen Good quality a.k.a.: a) Usama Bin Laden b) Usama Bin Muhammed Bin Awad, Osama Bin Laden c) Ben Laden Osama d) Ben Laden Ossama e) Ben Laden Usama f) Bin Laden Osama Mohamed Awdh g) Bin Laden Usamah Bin Muhammad h) Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin i) Usamah Bin Muhammad Bin Ladin j) Usama bin Ladin k) Osama bin Ladin l) Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Ladin m) Usama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Ladin Low quality a.k.a.: a) Abu Abdallah Abd Al-Hakim b) Al Qaqa Nationality: na Passport no.: na National identification no.: na Address: na Listed on: 25 Jan. 2001 (amended on 2 Jul. 2007, 16 Dec. 2010, 4 May
2011) Other information: Saudi citizenship withdrawn, Afghan nationality given by the Taliban regime. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 1822 (2008) was concluded on 21 Jun. 2010. Confirmed to have died in Pakistan in May 2011.
Outside the US, sanctions are treated like law enforcement: when the bad guy dies, he or she is no longer of interest, so the person can be removed from the list.
OFAC knows better: dead men may not tell tales, but they can leave behind assets in their names that their associates can lay their hands on. So, Osama bin Laden is not leaving the SDN list any time soon – nor is Saddam Hussein, or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, etc.
A separate post follows next on the other DFAT/UN changes.