Washington, DC – The United States on Thursday trimmed the wings of the designated foreign terrorist organization, Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT), as Washington targeted eight individual leaders, including those directly responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 166 people were killed.
The US Department of the Treasury announced in a communique the decision to designate eight individuals who hold leadership positions within the designated foreign terrorist organization, LeT, a Pakistan-based terrorist group with links to the Taliban, the Haqqani Taliban Network, and al-Qaeda.
The action prohibits US persons from engaging in any transactions with the designated individuals and freezes any assets the designees have under US jurisdiction.
“The individuals targeted today include LeT members based in Pakistan who are involved in LeT’s propaganda campaigns, financial networks, and logistic support networks,” the release said, stressing, “Today’s targets also include military commanders directly responsible for the murderous 2008 Mumbai attacks as well as attacks on coalition and Afghan forces.”
The statement detailed that LeT “is responsible for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans, and the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings that killed more than 180 people.”
“Today’s action against LeT is Treasury’s most comprehensive to date against this group and includes individuals participating in all aspects of LeT’s operations – from commanders planning attacks to those managing LeT’s relationships with other terrorist groups,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.
“Attacking LeT’s facilitation networks is particularly important, since charitable donations LeT raises in Pakistan – its primary revenue source – are used to fuel LeT’s militant operations,” added Cohen.
On the top of the list is Sajjid Mir, LeT’s project manager for the November 2008 terrorist attacks that killed 166 people and wounded 308 in Mumbai, India.
“In this capacity, Mir trained and provided guidance to the operatives involved in the attacks and directed the execution of hostages taken during the operation. Mir also directed the pre-operation target surveillance conducted by LeT operative David Coleman Headley for the attacks,” said the US communique.
“In March 2010, David Coleman Headley pled guilty to 12 US federal terrorism charges, admitting that he participated in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India and in planning later to attack the Danish newspaper,” noted the US agency.
Others on the list include:
• Abdullah Mujahid, a member of LeT since 1988, who in early 2003 became LeT’s chief of India operations
• Ahmed Yaqub, the head of LeT’s maritime program, alternatively described as the group’s naval wing
• Hafiz Khalid Walid, a member of LeT’s central advisory committee since at least 2003 who has held various leadership positions in the group since at least 2006
• Qari Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh, a member of LeT’s central advisory committee
• Amir Hamza, a member of LeT’s central advisory committee
• Abdullah Muntazir, an LeT media official since at least 1999
• Talha Saeed, a prominent leader within LeT since early 2005
LeT was designated by the US Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in December 2001 and was added to the UN 1267/1989 Committee’s Consolidated List – its list of sanctioned terrorists – in May 2005.
Despite being banned by the Government of Pakistan in January 2002, LeT continues to operate in Pakistan and throughout the region and engage in or support terrorist activities worldwide, said the US government statement, adding that all individuals were based in Pakistan with Pakistani identification papers.