United States Targets Terrorist Organization Operating in India and Pakistan

In conjunction with the U.S. Department of State's designation today of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated HUJI's commander, Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, for supporting acts of terrorism and for acting for or on behalf of HUJI. Today's action against Kashmiri was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which freezes any assets Kashmiri has under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with him. The United Nations also took similar actions against HUJI and Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri today. As commander of HUJI, Kashmiri provides support to al-Qa'ida operations, including logistical support for al-Qai'da's terrorist attacks. Kashmiri has supported attacks against Pakistani government personnel and facilities, including the 2009 attack against the offices of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Pakistani police in Lahore, Pakistan that killed 23 people and left hundreds injured. He directed the October 2008 assassination of the former commander of the Pakistani Special Services Group, General Amir Faisal Alvi, in retaliation for his role in the fight against militants in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. He also led an al-Qa'ida-linked cell in planning for the assassination of a Pakistani Army general – a plan that was eventually abandoned due to al-Qa'ida's strategic considerations.