| The United States has determined that a Syrian government bank helped fund Al Qaida. The Treasury Department said the Commercial Bank of Syria and its subsidiary provided financial services to what the government agency described as "terrorists and their sympathizers." The department did not identify the groups, but officials said they included Al Qaida and satellite groups. "Numerous transactions that may be indicative of terrorist financing and money laundering have been transferred through CBS, including two accounts at CBS that reference a reputed financier for Osama Bin Laden," the department said. The department has designated the Commercial Bank of Syria and its subsidiary, the Beirut-based Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank, as financial institutions of "primary money laundering concern." The designation provides the U.S. government with a range of options to target money laundering and terrorist financing. |