US: Biden administration designates 4 Al-Qaeda, Taliban leaders as global terrorists

In a statement issued by Blinken, he said: "The United States is committed to using its full set of counterterrorism tools to counter the threat posed by terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan, including al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as part of our relentless efforts to ensure that terrorists do not use Afghanistan as a platform for international terrorism."

The Department of State designated four AQIS and TTP leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, for their leadership roles in their respective groups:

Osama Mehmood is the emir of AQIS

Atif Yahya Ghouri is the deputy emir of AQIS

Muhammad Maruf is responsible for AQIS’ recruiting branch

Qari Amjad is the deputy emir of TTP. He oversees operations and militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province

"As a result of these actions, all property and interests in property of those designated yesterday that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and all US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them," Blinken said.

The US government remains committed to using its full set of counterterrorism tools to counter the threat posed by terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Blinken added.