US imposes sanctions on eight LeT leaders

Move would freeze individual’s assets in US, restrict financial dealings.


Huma Imtiaz August 31, 2012

WASHINGTON:


The US Treasury Department has placed sanctions on eight leaders of banned group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for their alleged involvement in 2008 Mumbai attacks, and attacks on coalition and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.


The eight included Sajjid Mir, a longtime LeT recruiter whom the US Treasury called the “project manager” for the November 2008 attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai.

“The individuals targeted today include LeT members based in Pakistan who are involved in LeT’s propaganda campaigns, financial networks, and logistic support networks,” the US Treasury said in a statement.

The other seven men are Abdullah Mujahid, Ahmed Yaqub, Hafiz Khalid Walid, Qari Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh, Amir Hamza, Abdullah Muntazir and Talha Saeed.

LeT has already been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 2001 by the State Department.

Comprehensive crackdown

The Treasury Department’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S Cohen said in a statement, “Today’s action against LeT is the Treasury’s most comprehensive to date against this group and includes individuals participating in all aspects of LET’s operations – from commanders planning attacks to those managing LeT’s relationships with other terrorist groups. Attacking LET’s facilitation networks is particularly important, since charitable donations LeT raises in Pakistan – its primary revenue source – are used to fuel LeT’s militant operations.”

The designation by the Treasury Department bars “US persons from engaging in any transactions with these individuals and freezes any assets the designees have under US jurisdiction.”

The statement said that despite being banned by the Pakistani Government in 2002, LeT continues to operate in Pakistan and throughout the region, and is engaged in, or supports, terrorist activities around the world.

The press release said that LeT “is responsible for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans, and the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings that killed more than 180 people.”

26/11 planner

Amongst the leaders designated, Sajid Mir is one of the senior members of LeT. He has been accused of training and providing guidance to the operatives involved in the 26/11 attacks.

“Mir also directed the pre-operation target surveillance conducted by LeT operative David Coleman Headley for the attacks,” said the Treasury Department.

“In late 2008, Mir and Headley met in Pakistan and discussed the prospect of an attack on the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In March 2010, David Coleman Headley pled guilty to 12 US federal terrorism charges, admitting that he participated in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India and in planning later to attack the Danish newspaper.”


Published in The Express Tribune, August 31st, 2012. 

COMMENTS (4)

Malatesh | 11 years ago | Reply

@US,

Imposing ban is not enough, you have to send neavy seal commandos once again to kill these terrorists as you did with OBL.

India | 11 years ago | Reply

USA is working for india.

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