In a statement released on Thursday, the US State Department designated three leaders of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and one leader of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
The statement added that United States is committed to using its full set of counterterrorism tools to counter the threat posed by terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan.
Osama Mehmood, emir of AQIS; Atif Yahya Ghouri, deputy emir of AQIS; Muhammad Maruf, responsible for AQIS’ recruiting branch and Qari Amjad, deputy emir of TTP, who oversees operations and militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, had been mentioned in the executive order by the State Department.
“All property and interests in property of those designated that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and all U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them,” the statement added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “The US 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.”