U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo courtesy U.S. Department of State
The U.S. on Thursday announced it was designating four Al Qaeda in the Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leaders as terrorists, declaring it a part of efforts to ensure Afghanistan cannot be used as a platform for international terrorism.
According to a statement issued by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the four men branded ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorists’ are: Osama Mehmood, emir of AQIS; Atif Yahya Ghouri, deputy emir of AQIS; Muhammad Maruf, responsible for AQIS’ recruiting branch; and Qari Amjad, the deputy emir of TTP who oversees operations and militants in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Amjad, alias Mufti Hazrat Deroji, has waged a 15-year campaign of violence, which has ramped up since the Afghan Taliban seized control of Kabul last year. There has been mounting concern within Pakistan in recent months of the TTP regaining a foothold in the country’s north, with both the government and the Army vowing to ensure terrorism does not return to the country.
“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 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as part of our relentless efforts to ensure that terrorists do not use Afghanistan as a platform for international terrorism,” read Blinken’s statement.
It said that after being branded global terrorists, all property and interests in property of the designated terrorists subject to U.S. jurisdiction were blocked, and all U.S. persons were generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.
“Yesterday’s actions again demonstrate that 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,” the secretary of state added.
The U.S., earlier this year, accused the Afghan Taliban of violating assurances they would not offer sanctuary to Al Qaeda or other militant groups. Similar commentary has also emerged from Pakistan, with ministers lamenting that TTP is using the neighboring state as a launchpad for attacks in the country.