The U.S. Sanctions Three Pakistanis for Ties to 'Terrorist' Groups

On Wednesday, February 7, the U.S. government sanctioned three individuals in connection with terrorist groups in Pakistan. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Treasury Department stated that these three were sanctioned due to their links to the group Lashkar-e-Taiba and other entities on the list of 'global terrorists.' This comes after the U.S. sanctioned six members of the Taliban and the Haqqani network two weeks ago. The Treasury Department identified Rahman Faqir Muhammad as one of the sanctioned individuals, accused of collecting financial aid for Lashkar-e-Taiba from Gulf countries. Sigal Mandelker, the U.S. Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated that these sanctions are part of broader efforts by the U.S. government to disrupt the financial networks of terrorist groups and urged Pakistan and other regional countries to cooperate in eliminating the operational bases of these dangerous financial networks. The Treasury also mentioned two others sanctioned for their collaboration with Sheikh Aminullah, who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2009 for supporting the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The two others are identified as Hezbollah Astam Khan and Dilawar Khan Nader Khan, who are said to be linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terrorist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of the largest and most organized jihadist groups in South Asia, listed as a terrorist organization by the UN and the U.S. This group organized the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, where ten armed men shot civilians, killing at least 166 people.