United States designates Hizbul Mujahideen as foreign terrorist organisation

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Delhi: The US Department of State on Wednesday designated Hizbul Mujahideen as a foreign terrorist organisation slapping a series of sanctions on the outfit. 

The order was passed under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(b) of Executive Order (EO) 13224. 

.@StateDeptCT has designated Hizbul Mujahideen - also known as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen & HM - as a Foreign Terrorist Org. https://t.co/Z9eL3kEGpt — Department of State (@StateDept) August 16, 2017

The media note by the department reads as follows:

The Department of State has designated Hizbul Mujahideen - also known as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, also known as HM - as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. These designations seek to deny HM the resources it needs to carry out terrorist attacks. Among other consequences, all of HM’s property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group.

Formed in 1989, HM is one of the largest and oldest militant groups operating in Kashmir. Hizbul Mujahideen is led by Specially Designated Global Terrorist Mohammad Yusuf Shah, also known as Syed Salahuddin. Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the April 2014, explosives attack in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which injured 17 people.

Today’s action notifies the US public and the international community that HM is a terrorist organisation. Terrorism designations expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of US agencies and other governments.

Earlier, on June 26 this year, the US had declared the group's Pakistan-based chief Syed Salahuddin, 71, as a global terrorist. The announcement had come just hours before the much-awaited meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the White House.

In a notification, the State Department had said at that time that Salahuddin "has committed or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism."

He is also the head of 'United Jihad Council', a conglomerate of several terror outfits like LeT and JeM.

Salahuddin hails from a small village of Soibug in the Budgam district of central Kashmir. He left the village and the state 30 years ago, when he crossed over to Pakistan.

HM is banned under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for carrying out terrorist activities in India and receiving funds from Pakistan and the Gulf.

Pakistan's Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ousted PM Nawaz Sharif have repeatedly praised the militant group's slain 'commander' Burhan Wani who was killed in July last year in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hizbul has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the state.