Sanctions imposed: Peshawar madrassa ‘terror training base’

It is the first time a madrassa has been the target of sanctions.


Afp August 20, 2013
The Treasury said the Ganj Madrassa in Peshawar was being used as training and recruiting base by the two militant groups. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

WASHINGTON:


The US Treasury on Tuesday set economic sanctions on a Pakistan Islamic school it branded a “terrorist training centre” supporting al Qaeda and the Taliban.


The Treasury said the Ganj Madrassa in Peshawar was being used as training and recruiting base by the two militant groups, as well as the radical Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeJ) blamed for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.

The head of the madrassa, Fazeel-a-Tul Shaykh Abu Mohammed Ameen Al-Peshawari, known as Shaykh Aminullah, has been a US and UN-designated terrorist since 2009, for his support for al Qaeda and the Taliban.

But it was the first time a madrassa has been the target of sanctions, which forbid any Americans from having any business interaction with it, and freeze any of its assets that come under US jurisdiction.

“Today’s action is the first designation of a madrassa that is being abused by terrorist organisations,” the Treasury said in a statement.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2013.

COMMENTS (13)

Burjor Rustomji | 10 years ago | Reply

@unbelievable. I remember watching an interview by Lyce Doucet (BBC) and Musharaf when in power. When Doucet pointedly reminded Musharaf that she herself had seen the offices of these Jihadi type outfits very close to where this interview was being held, he (Musharaf) point blank refused to believe and refuted her. This then can be considered a plain lie, an act of ignorance, or plain self denial. This mind set of not accepting ground realities is not peculiar to any one person or group it is endemic in Pakistan. This is why politicians cannot agree on how to go about this issue. They cannot even admit to their existence. Just imagine. 40,000 to 50,000 killed, many more injured, many kidnapped, this has been going on for years and years and yet we play deaf and dumb, hear nothing, see nothing, do nothing, that should sum up Pakistan's policies.

unbelievable | 10 years ago | Reply

Pakistan leaders always talks about how it's fighting terrorism but this is a good example of why non Pakistani's tend to believe that Pakistan is the nexus of terrorism.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ