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 targeted militants include four leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a regional branch of the network, including its self-styled “emir” Osama Mehmood.
“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 United States also designated the number two of the TTP, Mufti Hazrat Deroji, also known as Qari Amjad, whose 15-year campaign of violence has stepped up since the Taliban seized control in neighboring Afghanistan last year.
US officials say Deroji has overseen operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one of two border areas that have borne the brunt of violent attacks.
The designations are “part of our relentless efforts to ensure that terrorists do not use Afghanistan as a platform for international terrorism,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
“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.”
President Joe Biden withdrew US troops from Afghanistan after two decades, saying that no more could be achieved and that the United States could fight militants without boots on the ground.
The United States on July 31 fired two missiles that killed Al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who had moved into Kabul.
