News Desk
WASHINGTON: The United States has put five members of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on the terrorism list as it vowed action amid growing alarms over Afghanistan.
Four leaders of AQIS, a regional branch of the militant outfit Al-Qaeda, including its self-styled “emir” Osama Mehmood were added to the terrorism list.
The list also includes the name of the second in command of TTP, Mufti Hazrat Deroji. Deroji, also known as Qari Amjad, had surged his militant campaigns since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan last year.
US war on terrorism
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the latest designations were part of Washington’s “relentless efforts” to ensure that terrorists did not use Afghanistan as a platform for global terrorism. He added that the US would continue to use all relevant tools to uphold its commitment to making sure that international terrorists were not operating with impunity in Afghanistan.
The US State and Treasury Department labeled four of the militant leaders as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”, making it a crime in the country to carry out any transactions with them as well as blocking their assets, if any, in the country.
Last year, the United States withdrew its troops from Afghanistan after two decades, leaving the war-torn country in a state of chaos and lawlessness. – APP/AFP
