Crackdown on protesters: US imposes sanctions on Syria

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday imposed sanctions and blocked assets of the powerful brother of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, several other officials and of the country’s intelligence services.

The move had been promised as Washington seeks to punish Syria for its brutal crackdown on opposition protesters.

In an executive order, Obama sanctioned Maher al-Assad, who commands Syria’s feared Fourth Armored Division, Ali Mamluk, the director of the Intelligence Directorate, and Atif Najib, the former head of the directorate for Daraa province.

The Syrian intelligence directorate as a whole was also named in the sanctions order.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2011.