US, Saudi Arabia impose joint sanction on fundraising for terrorists

Washington, April 1: The US and Saudi Arabia on Thursday imposed sanctions jointly on four individuals and two organisations, aiming to disrupt terrorism fundraising operations in South Asia and the Middle East, according to the US Treasury Department.

The joint action targeted James Alexander McLintock and his Pakistan-based Al-Rahmah Welfare Organisation, Abdul Aziz Nuristani and his Pakistan-based Jamia Asariya Madrassa, Treasury said in a press release, adding that the other two people sanctioned are Naveed Qamar and Muhammad Ijaz Safarash, according to Xinhua.

The Treasury said these organisations and individuals provide money for Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and other Afghan extremist groups, and the sanctioned have ties across Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

It also said that McLintock and his organisation have provided funding to extremists under the false guise of helping orphans.

The sanctions freezes any property they have within US jurisdiction and bans Americans from doing business with them.

"From terrorising local populations to exploiting charities and religious institutions, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba have a long history of inflicting violence on Americans and our allies throughout South Asia and the Middle East," said Adam J. Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

IANS