US Places Pakistani Taliban On Terrorism Blacklist

[GUNNER]

US Places Pakistani Taliban On Terrorism Blacklist

WASHINGTON, Sept 1, 2010 - The United States on Wednesday added the Pakistani Taliban to a blacklist of foreign terrorist organizations, which means members face asset freezes and travel bans.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton designated the Tehreek-e-Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization on August 12, and it was formally added to the list when it was published Wednesday on the Federal Register.

"I conclude that there is a sufficient factual basis to find that the relevant circumstances described in section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act... exist with respect" to the group, she wrote.

"Therefore, I hereby designate the aforementioned organization and its aliases as a foreign terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the INA," she wrote according to an email distributed by the State Department.

In June, US lawmakers pushed for adding the Pakistani Taliban, accused of training unrepentant Times Square bomb plotter Faisal Shahzad, to Washington's blacklist of terrorist groups.

Formal designation as a foreign terrorist organization triggers sanctions including an asset freeze, a ban on members traveling to the United States, and making it a crime to provide material support to the group.

"This organization poses an existential threat to the safety of not only our soldiers fighting abroad, but also Americans here at home. It's time we dealt them with every tool at our disposal," Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said in June.

The move by the lawmakers came one day after Shahzad, a Pakistani-born US national, pleaded guilty to the failed attack and warned of more strikes on the United States until it leaves Muslim lands.

Shahzad told the judge he had undergone five days of bomb-making training during a 40-day stay with the Pakistani Taliban in Pakistan, between December 9 and January 25.

 

[Ahmad]

What????????

 

[somebozo]

Good and now they will have every right to beat these people black and blue.! Save us form this menance called talibans.

 

[GUNNER]

Rewards for Justice - Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali Ur Rehman Reward Offers

Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
September 1, 2010

________________________________________

The U.S. Department of State has offered rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the location of Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali Ur Rehman.

Hakimullah Mehsud is the leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a terrorist organization based in the tribal areas of western Pakistan, along the border with Afghanistan.

Since becoming leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in August 2009, Mehsud has organized and directed several TTP attacks against U.S. personnel and interests in and beyond the region.

He has been charged in U.S. federal court with conspiracy to murder a U.S. national while outside of the United States and with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction against a U.S. national while outside of the United States. The charges stem from an FBI investigation into the December 30, 2009 suicide bomb attack on Forward Operating Base Chapman in Afghanistan that left seven U.S. citizens dead.

In April 2010, Mehsud’s operatives used an explosives-laden truck, machine guns, and rocket launchers in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar that killed six Pakistanis and wounded 20 others.

On May 1, 2010, a Pakistani-born naturalized U.S. citizen trained by the TTP attempted — and failed — to detonate a vehicle bomb in New York City’s Time Square. A day after that attack, the group released a video claiming responsibility for the attempted bombing. On May 3, Mehsud appeared in another video message warning that TTP would launch more attacks inside the United States.

Mehsud is also known as Hakeemullah Mehsud. He was born in the Kotkai region of South Waziristan, Pakistan and is believed to be in his early 30s.

Wali Ur Rehman is reportedly Mehsud’s one-time rival and current second-in-command. Rehman also is the TTP’s chief military strategist. He commands TTP members in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan and reportedly has led several attacks against U.S., NATO, and Pakistani forces on either side of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Rehman has aggressively recruited new fighters into the TTP terrorist network.

Like Mehsud, he was born in South Waziristan. He reportedly is in his early 40s. He is believed to be living in South Waziristan.

Both men are believed to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of the United States and its nationals.

The TTP is strongly linked to other terrorist organizations, including the Pakistan-based Haqqani network and al-Qa’ida. The TTP has provided sanctuary for al-Qa’ida operatives in the Pashtun tribal areas along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.

More information about Hakimullah Mehsud is located on the Rewards for Justice website (Rewards for Justice-mehsud - english).

More information about Wali Ur Rehman also can be found on the Rewards for Justice website (Rewards for Justice-main - english).

We encourage anyone with information on the location of Hakimullah Mehsud or Wali Ur Rehman to contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, any U.S. military commander, or the Rewards for Justice office via the website (Rewards for Justice-main - english), e-mail (RFJ@state.gov) or mail (Rewards for Justice, Washington, DC 20520-0303, USA).

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

 

[GUNNER]

Designations of Tehrik-E-Taliban Pakistan and Two Senior Leaders

Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC
September 1, 2010

________________________________________

The Secretary of State has designated Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The Secretary also designated TTP as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under E.O. 13224.

Furthermore, the Secretary designated two senior TTP leaders, Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali Ur Rehman, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under E.O. 13224. Secretary Clinton took these actions in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury. These actions will help stem the flow of finances to TTP and provide the Department of Justice with a critical tool to prosecute those who knowingly provide material support to TTP and its senior leaders.

The Rewards for Justice Program has announced a five million dollar reward for any information leading to the arrest of Mehsud or Rehman. Additionally, the Department of Justice has filed an arrest warrant for Hakimullah Mehsud and charged him with conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens abroad and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.

TTP is a Pakistan-based terrorist organization that has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist acts against Pakistani and U.S. interests. Hakimullah Mehsud has been the leader of TTP since August 2009 and Wali Ur Rehman is the TTP Emir in South Waziristan. Rehman has participated in cross-border attacks in Afghanistan against U.S. and NATO personnel, as well as attacks against Pakistani security forces.

TTP has carried out numerous attacks against U.S. interests under Mehsud and Rehman’s leadership. Such instances include a December 2009 suicide attack on a U.S. military base in Khowst, Afghanistan, which killed seven U.S. citizens, and an April 2010 suicide bombing against the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which killed six Pakistani citizens.

TTP and al-Qa’ida have a symbiotic relationship; TTP draws ideological guidance from al-Qa’ida, while al-Qa’ida relies on TTP for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border. This mutual cooperation gives TTP access to both al-Qa’ida’s global terrorist network and the operational experience of its members. Given the proximity of the two groups and the nature of their relationship, TTP is a force multiplier for al-Qa’ida.

TTP is suspected of being behind the 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Most recently, TTP claimed involvement in the failed attempt by Faisal Shahzad to detonate an explosive device in New York City’s Times Square on May 1, 2010. TTP’s claim has been validated by investigations which revealed that TTP directed and facilitated the plot.

The various actions taken today against TTP support the U.S. effort to degrade the capabilities of this group. We are determined to eliminate TTP’s ability to carry out terrorist attacks and to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat their networks. “Faisal Shahzad’s attempted attack on U.S. soil highlights the direct threat posed by the Pakistani Taliban,” said the Department of State’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Ambassador Daniel Benjamin. “Today’s actions put the TTP and its sympathizers on notice that the United States will not tolerate support to this organization, which has inflicted great harm to U.S. and Pakistani interests. TTP’s destabilizing effect in Pakistan’s tribal areas has resulted in innumerable civilian deaths and considerable property losses. It has greatly, indeed unacceptably, complicated the efforts to counter the threat posed by al-Qa’ida.”

 

[Kompromat]

Der ayad darust ayad .

 

[Ahmad]

Der ayad darust ayad .

i thought they were already on the terror list, it was a surprise to me.

 

[GentlemanObserver]

They were already on Rewards for Justice program. Old news is old news.

 

[GUNNER]

i thought they were already on the terror list, it was a surprise to me.

No, they weren't.

 

[GUNNER]

They were already on Rewards for Justice program. Old news is old news.

Charges against Mehsud & Wali were slapped only yesterday. I don't think US announced reward money on them before.

 

[GentlemanObserver]

Charges against Mehsud & Wali were slapped only yesterday. I don't think US announced reward money on them before.

Nope. There were posters of them and the rewards in Urdu and English dailies in Pakistan a short time back. Wish i had scanned copies to share.