WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday it was imposing sanctions on four people and five entities it said facilitated petroleum shipments and financing to the Syrian government.

It said in a statement the sanctions targeted Muhammad al-Qatirji and his company, which it said facilitated fuel trade between the Syrian government and Islamic State militants, as well as a fuel-procurement network that operates in Syria, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates to secure deliveries to Syria.