WASHINGTON: The United States Thursday announced the designation of four militants of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as global terrorists, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to ensure that terrorist groups do not use Afghanistan as a platform for international terrorism.
“The United States is committed to using its full set of counterterrorism tools to counter the threat posed by terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as part of our relentless efforts to ensure that terrorists do not use Afghanistan as a platform for international terrorism,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The list includes TTP’s Deputy Emir Qari Amjad, who oversees operations and militants in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The announcement comes to a couple of days after the TTP ended the ceasefire agreed with the Pakistani government in June and resumed attacks in the country, a move denounced by the United States and the United Nations.
The others listed are: Osama Mehmood the emir of AQIS; Atif Yahya Ghouri, the deputy emir of AQIS., and Muhammad Maruf, responsible for AQIS’ recruiting branch. “We will continue to use all relevant tools to uphold our commitment to see to it that international terrorists are not able to operate with impunity in Afghanistan,” Blinken said.
“As a result of these actions, all property and interests in property of those designated that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and all US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them. – Agencies
