US adds LeT student wing to list of terror groups

washington — The United States on Wednesday announced it was adding the student wing of the militant organisation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, to its list of “foreign terrorist organisations.”

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is an ‘anti-Indian militant group’ and is accused of ties to Pakistan’s top spy agencies. It has been accused of orchestrating numerous attacks, including a 2008 assault in Mumbai that killed 166 people, six of them Americans.

The State Department move against the student group, Al Muhammadia Students, came as the Treasury Department added two Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders to the US list of “specially designated global terrorists,” subjecting them to US sanctions.

LeT was banned by the Pakistani government in 2002 but it has continued operating through front organisations, according to US officials, and their leaders conduct public rallies and interviews.

The State Department announced that it amended the designation of LeT as a “foreign terrorist organisation” to include what it called the group’s student wing.

“Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organisations in an effort to avoid sanctions,” the State Department said, adding that the student group aided senior LeT leaders in recruiting and other activities.

The State Department action subjected the student group to sanctions, including a ban on Americans providing or attempting to provide it with material support.

The Treasury Department said it was adding Mohammed Sarwar and Shahid Mahmood to the US list of “specially designated global terrorists,” freezing any US property or other assets they hold and banning Americans from doing business with them. Both are involved in fund-raising activities, it said. —

Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly changed its name and created front organisations in a bid to avoid sanctions US State Department