U.S. sanctions on Lashkar-e-Tayyiba Network Leaders

Treasury Sanctions Two Senior Lashkar-E-Tayyiba Network Leaders

Action Targets Leadership of Pakistan-based Terrorist Organization

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today targeted the financial and leadership networks of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT) by designating Nazir Ahmad Chaudhry (Ahmad) and Muhammad Hussein Gill as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224.  Ahmad and Gill are being designated for acting for or on behalf of LT, a terrorist organization based in Pakistan.  Treasury and the Department of State have designated 22 individuals and four entities associated with LT.

The State Department today also maintained LT’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and added the following aliases to its listing of LT: Jama’at-ud-Dawa, Al-Anfal Trust, Tehrik-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool, and Tehrik-e-Tahafuz Qibla Awwal.  The State Department originally designated LT as an FTO in December 2001, and the group was added to the United Nations (UN) 1267/1989 Sanctions list in 2005.

“In targeting Lashkar-e-Tayyiba leadership, today’s action demonstrates our unrelenting commitment to combatting terrorism by disrupting terrorist groups’ financial activities,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.  “We will continue to target LT’s financial foundation to disrupt and impede its violent activities.”

LT was responsible for the deadly November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, India that killed nearly two hundred people and injured more than three hundred.  The group’s leader is Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who is listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267.

Read more » U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2440.aspx

– – – – –

More details » BBC urdu
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/world/2014/06/140625_jamatuddawah_terrorist_org_sa.shtml

The military will not decisively act against its own strategic assets unless an ideological shift occurs at mass level

OUR VIEWPOINT ON ZARB-E-AZB

Written by  Redaktion

Yet another military operation has been launched in Waziristan Agency. Post-9/11, this will be fifth operation in the Agency.

While Viewpoint is staunchly opposed to the Taliban and considers them the biggest immediate threat to working classes in Pakistan, we refuse to lend support to the ongoing military operation for the following reasons:

1.       Amputating cancerous hand, preserving cancer: A military operation in Waziristan Agency implies that terrorism in Pakistan is geographically located. This is a fake beginning. Hence, it will only prolong the fight against puritan terror. Fact of the matter is, taproot of terrorism is located elsewhere. To be precise, terrorism in Pakistan emanates from Islamabad/Rawalpindi. It is grounded in the official policy-making, anchored in military doctrines, and situated in foreign office. Viewpoint has repeatedly pointed out: unless a paradigm shift displacing the Doctrine of Strategic Depth takes place, the Taliban terror cannot be decisively defeated. Furthermore, without abandoning the Jihadi infrastructure [ consisting of Punjab-based, Kashmir-specific, and anti-Shia outfits as well as mosque-and-madrassa networks], terrorism cannot be successfully fought back. Likewise, only by deradicalising the entire state and society (military, judiciary, constitution, media, education system and so on) we can expect a beginning of terrorism’s end. There is no piecemeal solution. In the absence of such radical paradigmatic shifts, the Waziristan operation will be tantamount to amputating cancerous hand while preserving the cancerous arm. Therefore, it is an absurd position to take if one supports or opposes amputation of a cancerous hand by khaki messiahs without operating upon the source of cancer.

Read more » View Point Online
http://www.viewpointonline.net/2014/06/our-viewpoint-on-zarb-e-azb/3828-our-viewpoint-on-zarb-e-azb#.U6niUJmUsGk.facebook

As Iraq dies, Kurdistan is born

BY TAREK FATAH ,TORONTO SUN

Iraq is imploding in a fiery mess as it nears its expiry date, and from its ashes a new nation is rising — Kurdistan. While pundits debate who is to blame for this “unforeseen” crisis

Read more » Toronto Sun
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/06/24/as-iraq-dies-kurdistan-is-born