The United States (US) administration issued a list of 11 men designated as “global terrorists” which included Noor Wali (also known as Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud), who became leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) in June 2018 after the death of former leader Mullah Fazlullah.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, while briefing reporters at the White House, said, “President Trump’s executive order further reinforces US global counterterrorism efforts.”
He said that with President Trump’s decision, an earlier order initially signed by President George W. Bush after 9/11 has been successfully amended. New clauses added to the previous order enables US State and Treasury departments to directly target leaders of suspected terrorist groups and their supporters.
Pompeo further said that the order provides the space to effectively target individuals and groups participating in terrorist training and provides new authorities to impose sanctions on foreign financial institutions that do business with suspected terrorists.
Meanwhile, former US Treasury Department senior advisor Eric Lorber said the order is a “significant change.”
He said, “Most financial institutions would not have done business with designated terrorists in the past as well, but the new order makes it clear that the Treasury is willing to take concrete steps to punish those financial institutions that channel money towards terrorist organisations.”
After the new order, the Treasury imposed fresh sanctions on more than two dozen individuals and entities from 11 terrorist groups. The banned groups include TTP, the Quds Force, the foreign wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hamas, the Islamic State, Al-Qaida and their supporters.