Switzerland updates UN sanctions entry for militant group

BERN, Sept. 29, 2026 — Switzerland updated its sanctions data for Khatiba Jama`at Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad after a U.N. sanctions committee amended the entity's listing under measures targeting people and organizations associated with ISIL and al-Qaida.

The change took effect Sept. 28, one day before Swiss authorities published the modification. Switzerland's SESAM sanctions database was updated to reflect the U.N. action. Under a 2016 Federal Council ordinance, amendments to U.N. Security Council sanctions lists apply in Switzerland without delay.

The amended entry covers financial sanctions under Article 3 of the Swiss ordinance. The modification also cites the ordinance's entry-and-transit prohibition under Article 4.

The record identifies the group by the acronym KTJ and includes several alternative names, including Jannat Oshiklari, Jama`at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad. Jannat Oshiklari is also given as a former name. Those name variants are relevant to sanctions screening because they provide multiple terms associated with the same listed entity.

Swiss authorities describe KTJ as operating under the umbrella of Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, which the entry says was formerly listed. Its main areas of operation are given as the Syrian provinces of Hama, Idlib and Ladhiqiyah, with operations also reported across nine other countries. The listing estimates the group has about 500 fighters and says it cooperates with Khatiba Imam al-Bukhari and the Islamic Jihad Group.

The entity was originally listed May 15, 2025. The latest action amends that existing listing rather than adding a new subject.