US designates Hizb ‘foreign terror group’

New Delhi, August 16

The US today designated Kashmiri militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, based in Pakistan, as a “foreign terrorist organisation”.

The move comes around two months after outfit’s chief Syed Salahuddin was declared a global terrorist on June 26. In a statement on its website, the US State Department said, “These designations seek to deny Hizbul Mujahideen the resources it needs to carry out terrorist attacks.”

The designation, which slaps a series of US sanctions on the outfit, comes against the backdrop of recent increase in the terror activities of the outfit in Kashmir.

All Hizbul Mujahideen properties and interests thereof, which are subject to US jurisdiction, now stand blocked, and US persons prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group.

The decision  also serves as a severe blow to Pakistan’s declared position that the outfit gives voice to the people of Kashmir, who are fighting the Indian forces to attain freedom. — TNS