The United States has slapped sanctions on six Taliban and Haqqani network militants as it again demands more help from Pakistan to disrupt terrorist financing.
The six include a former high-ranking official of Afghanistan’s former Taliban government.
“This action supports the president’s South Asia strategy by disrupting these terrorist organizations and publicly exposing individuals who facilitate their activities,” Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Thursday.
All six have been involved in attacking U.S.-led coalition forces, smuggling and financing terrorists.
All property they have in the United States is frozen, and Americans are barred from doing business with them.
All six live in Afghanistan. They include Abdul Samad Sani, who has been Taliban deputy finance minister and was also Afghanistan’s Central Bank governor when the Taliban ruled the country.
“The Pakistani government must work with us to deny the Taliban and the Haqqani network sanctuary and to aggressively target their terrorist financing,” Mandelker said.
The United States has suspended security assistance to the Pakistani military until it takes what the State Department calls “decisive action” against the Taliban and Haqqani network.
President Donald Trump infuriated Pakistan when he said it had played U.S. leaders for “fools” by accepting billions of dollars in aid while giving safe haven to terrorists.
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