Three Pakistanis linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba were designated as global terrorists by the US
Three Pakistanis linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the insurgent organisation responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack, were designated as global terrorists by the US. This was done to shut down the militant group's financial network and curtail its ability to raise funds to carry out violent terrorist attacks.
LeT commander Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil was named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the Department of State.
Separately, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action to disrupt the LeT's fundraising and support networks by designating two of the group's financial facilitators, Hameed ul Hassan and Abdul Jabbar, as SDGTs.
Long-time member of the US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and LeT, Dakhil was an operational leader for LeT's attacks in India between 1997 and 2001.
2004 saw Dakhil bring captured by the British forces in Iraq, and held in US custody until his transfer to Pakistan in 2014. After his release from Pakistani custody, Dakhil returned to work for the LeT. In 2016, he was the LeT divisional commander for the Jammu region.
As of early 2018, Dakhil remained a senior commander in the LeT.
Among other consequences, all of Dakhil’s properties and interests that are subject to US jurisdiction have been blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him.
Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker said Hassan and Jabbar were responsible for collecting, transporting and distributing funds to support the terror group and provide salaries to extremists.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) previously designated Safarash and Walid as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for their association with the LeT in March 2016 and September 2012, respectively.
Additionally, Hassan has an active Twitter account, which identifies him as the leader of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamat-ud Dawah in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In December 2001, the Department of State designated the Lashkar e Taiba as a foreign terrorist organisation.
Last Updated Aug 1, 2018, 4:11 PM IST