The United States Treasury Department placed more sanctions on Syrian officials and firms Thursday to pressure the government to end its eight-month long crackdown on protesters.
The Treasury said Americans cannot deal with Muhammad Makhluf, the uncle of President Bashar al-Assad, who serves as a financial adviser, and Aus Aslan, a general in the Syrian military.
“It has never been more critical to escalate pressure on the Syrian government to immediately cease all violence against its own people and isolate the regime from the international financial system,” stated Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.
Americans also cannot deal with the Real Estate Bank and Military Housing Establishment, which are Syrian-controlled companies, the Treasury said.
The move comes a day after the Turkish government placed tough new sanctions and restrictions on Syrian officials, including a travel ban and freezing assets. A week ago, the Arab League also placed its own sanctions on Damascus in an attempt to up the pressure on Assad’s regime.
The United Nations estimates that at least 3,500 people have been killed since mid-March in the bloody crackdown.
