Latest news with #SDGT
The National
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Taliban foreign terrorist designation under review, Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the US was reviewing whether to designate the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organisation. Mr Rubio was on Capitol Hill testifying before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on the proposed State Department budget. The Taliban is designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group. FTO sanctions freeze the assets of the designated group. They differ from SDGT designations in that they make it a crime to provide 'material support or resources' to a designated group; members of an FTO are automatically inadmissible to the US; and victims of terrorist attacks and their survivors are able to file civil lawsuits against FTOs and the entities that support them, according to the Atlantic Council think tank. The Taliban have ruled Afghanistan since 2021, retaking power after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since it returned to power, the Taliban have reinstated their strict interpretation of Islamic law. They have essentially erased women and girls from public life, from schools to journalism to public parks, and have removed protections for minority ethnic and religious groups. But critics have argued that an FTO designation often has the unintended consequence of obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. Even before the US withdrawal, Afghanistan was a major recipient of US and other foreign aid, and the assistance continues to help prop up its economy. Mr Rubio's comments come after the US announced Afghanistan would be removed from the list of countries whose citizens have Temporary Protected Status. The Department of Homeland Security said that 'conditions in Afghanistan no longer meet the statutory requirements' for TPS, which provides protection from deportation as well as the ability to work in the US to citizens of countries experiencing conflict or other crises. 'This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,' said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. 'Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilising economy no longer prevents them from returning to their home country.'
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Operation Sindoor: Terror sites targeted by Indian forces 'linked' to banned outfits such as JeM, LeT, and Hizbul Mujahideen
The terror camps said to have been targeted by the Indian defence forces at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) are linked to various banned outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen, according to probe agencies. The Indian Armed Forces on Wednesday (May 7, 2025) launched 'Operation Sindoor', hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. JeM As per the agencies, JeM has its terrorist recruitment and training base in Bahawalpur (Pakistan), which was set up soon after its formation in March 2000 by Masood Azhar, months after he was released by India along with two others in exchange for the passengers and crew of IC-814 flight hijacked on December 24, 1999. The outfit has masterminded a series of attacks in India, including Jammu and Kashmir Assembly car blast in October 2001; Parliament attack in coordination with LeT on December 13, 2001; Pathankot airbase attack in January 2016; and Pulwama suicide bombing on February 14, 2019, in which at least 40 CRPF personnel were killed, prompting the Indian forces to launch Balakot airstrikes 12 days later. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1267 Committee had listed JeM chief Masood Azhar in May 2019, while the outfit was sanctioned way back in 2001. On May 1, 2019, the US Department of State had welcomed the move and noted that he 'has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks and is a serious threat to regional stability and peace in South Asia'. 'JeM was designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2001 and has been listed by the UN since 2001. The United States also designated Azhar as an SDGT in 2010,' it had said. LeT Co-founded in 1987-88 by Hafiz Saeed, LeT has its headquarters in Muridke near Lahore (Pakistan). Its parent organisation is Markaz al Dawatul Wal Irshad, which was later renamed as Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Apart from the Parliament attack, LeT was behind in the October 2005 Delhi series blasts in which over 60 people were killed; July-2006 Mumbai train blasts in which more than 200 people were killed; and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in November 2008 that claimed 166 lives. The outfit also masterminded the Uri army base attack killing 19 soldiers in September 2016, the agencies found. In May 2005, the UNSC 1267 Committee had sanctioned LeT on the charge that it had connections with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Al-Qaida, and associated entities. Hafiz Saeed was listed on December 10, 2008, along with several other key LeT terrorists. The US, on November 24, 2017, had expressed deep concern that Hafiz Saeed was released from house arrest in Pakistan. 'LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens. The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes,' it said. In May 2008, the United States Department of the Treasury had designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Hizbul Mujahideen Terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, which has had its headquarters in PoJK's Muzaffarabad, was founded in 1989 by Muhammad Ahsan Dar and its current chief is Syed Salahuddin. It mainly operates in Jammu and Kashmir and was very active in 1990s. Its 'commander' Burhan Wani was killed in South Kashmir during an encounter with the security forces in 2016. Muzaffarabad also acts a 'launching pad' for terrorists against India, as per the agencies.
Scoop
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Targeting Companies And Vessels Supporting The Houthis
Tammy Bruce, Department Spokesperson April 28, 2025 Today, the United States is sanctioning three vessels and their owners for supporting the Iran-backed Houthis by delivering refined petroleum products to a Houthi-controlled port. The United States is committed to disrupting the Houthis' illicit revenue generation, financial facilitators, and suppliers as part of our whole-of-government approach to eliminating threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. The U.S. Department of State designated Ansarallah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, effective February 16, 2024. On March 4, 2025, the Department of State announced the re-designation of Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. Today's action is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, and builds on OFAC's numerous actions targeting Houthi leaders, illicit revenue generation, financial facilitators, and suppliers.
Scoop
22-04-2025
- Scoop
$5m Reward Offer For Information Leading To Arrest And/or Conviction Of Leader Of Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13
With the designation of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) on February 20, 2025, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), the U.S. government is working towards building a safer, stronger, and more prosperous hemisphere in the Americas by providing all available means to eliminate the threats of violent crime by MS-13 throughout the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. government is offering a reward under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $5 million, which was announced in 2023, for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in any country of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías, aka 'Porky' and 'Alexander Mendoza', the leader of MS-13 in Honduras. Archaga Carías is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras and is responsible for directing the gang's criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, kidnappings, and other violent crimes involving machine guns. He is also responsible for the gang's importation of large amounts of cocaine into the United States. Archaga Carías remains at large. Archaga Carías is one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, as well as one of the DEA's and Homeland Security Investigations' most wanted fugitives. If you have information, please contact the FBI by email at archaga-carias_tips@ or via text at +1 832-267-1688 (text/WhatsApp) for this reward. If you are located outside of the United States, you may also contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are in the United States, you may also contact the local FBI, DEA, or HSI offices in your city. Today's announcement reinforces the importance of public awareness for rewards targets who are members of, or associated with, the eight cartels and transnational criminal organizations designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations on February 20, 2025. Bringing these individuals to justice is a priority for the Trump Administration.
Yemen Online
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Yemen : USNI Report to Congress on Houthi Terrorism Designation
On January 22, 2025, President Donald Trump signed executive order (E.O.) 14175 initiating a process for the redesignation of the Yemeni Shia Islamist group Ansar Allah (Arabic for 'the Partisans of God'), commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). On March 4, Secretary of State Marco Rubio redesignated Ansar Allah as an FTO. The FTO designation authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to impose asset freezing sanctions on the organization and triggers the application of 18 U.S.C. §3229B, which criminalizes the provision of material support to designated FTOs. E.O. 14175 further outlined a process requiring a review of some U.S. assistance programs in Yemen and directed the termination 'as appropriate' of certain U.S.-funded projects, grants, and contracts with entities found to have made payments to Houthi entities or insufficiently documented Houthi abuses (see below). The U.S. Department of the Treasury has revised general licenses providing some exceptions for transactions involving the Houthis. Exceptions for transactions involving the Houthis for trade in refined petroleum products and telecommunications have been made more restrictive. The Houthis have controlled most of northern Yemen since 2015. Houthi attacks in and around the Red Sea after October 2023 disrupted regional security and global maritime commerce. The group receives material support from Iran and Russia and has attacked Israel, U.S. vessels, and (before October 2023) Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). E.O. 14175 and the President's statement say that U.S. policy is to cooperate with partners to 'eliminate' Houthi capabilities and operations, as well as to deprive the Houthis of resources. The Administration has not specified what additional actions, resources, or authorities, if any, may be used to achieve those ends. President Trump previously designated the group as both an FTO and an entity subject to sanctions under the 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' (SDGT) program in January 2021. President Biden revoked both designations, citing concerns that they could impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance or jeopardize efforts to promote dialogue aimed at establishing ceasefire in the war in Yemen. In February 2024, the Biden Administration redesignated the Houthis as an SDGT, citing 'unprecedented attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.' Congress and Yemen. Since 2015, Congress has considered the effects of conflict and sanctions on regional security and humanitarian conditions in Yemen. Congress has provided resources and authorities to support U.S. policy, including with additional defense funding in 2024 to support U.S. regional deterrence operations. In the 119th Congress, several proposals would authorize sanctions on the Houthis or direct the executive branch to designate the Houthis as an FTO (H.R. 1848, S. 70, and S. 159). The Trump Administration has not said whether it intends to request additional funds or authorities from Congress in support of its wider Yemen policy. The 119th Congress may seek additional information from the Administration concerning its policy toward Yemen and the Houthis, its expectations about the reactions and intentions of Yemeni and other international actors, its projections of the benefits and costs of different options, and its plans with regard to U.S. humanitarian assistance in Yemen. Congress may consider opportunities to influence U.S. policy toward Yemen, including via authorization and appropriations legislation, with regard to U.S. sanctions, diplomacy, assistance programs, and military operations. Policy Context Political-Military Developments. More than 100 Houthi attacks on Israel and on international shipping and U.S. and partner naval vessels in the Red Sea region occurred from October 2023 to January 2025, with the Houthis claiming their attacks were intended to support Palestinians and secure an end to Israeli operations against the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group and U.S.-designated FTO Hamas. In January 2025, Yemen's representative to the United Nations (UN) rejected Houthi justifications. Yemen's internationally recognized government has welcomed the Trump Administration's redesignation of the Houthis as an FTO. Leaders of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) also welcomed the U.S. decision and reiterated a call for joint international-Yemeni military operations to counter the Houthis and reduce the area under their control. The STC has received military aid from the UAE and seeks to reestablish southern Yemen as a separate state, which it was prior to 1990. In a September 2024 report, the United Nations panel of experts on Yemen described 'the transformation of the Houthis from a localized armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organization, extending their operational capabilities well beyond the territories under their control.' The panel attributed the Houthis' evolution to 'unprecedented' transfers of material support from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iraqi armed groups. U.S. officials have condemned Houthi attacks and the Houthis' detention of Yemenis with ties to UN or U.S. government entities and aid organization. U.S. sanctions have been levied against additional Houthi operatives and supporters. U.S. military strikes have targeted Houthi weapons and related facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen since January 2024, including a January 8, 2025 strike targeting two underground storage facilities.
