Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > United States Targets Terrorist Organisation Operating in India and Pakistan - Harakat -ul Jihad Islami
United States Targets Terrorist Organisation Operating in India and Pakistan - Harakat -ul Jihad Islami
August 6, 2010
August 6, 2010
TG-818
United States Targets Terrorist Organization Operating in India and Pakistan
In Joint Terrorism Actions, Treasury, State Designate Harakat-ul Jihad Islami
And Its Senior Leader Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri
WASHINGTON – In conjunction with the U.S. Department of State's designation today of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated HUJI's commander, Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, for supporting acts of terrorism and for acting for or on behalf of HUJI. Today's action against Kashmiri was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which freezes any assets Kashmiri has under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with him. The United Nations also took similar actions against HUJI and Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri today.
As commander of HUJI, Kashmiri provides support to al-Qa'ida operations, including logistical support for al-Qai'da's terrorist attacks. Kashmiri has supported attacks against Pakistani government personnel and facilities, including the 2009 attack against the offices of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Pakistani police in Lahore, Pakistan that killed 23 people and left hundreds injured. He directed the October 2008 assassination of the former commander of the Pakistani Special Services Group, General Amir Faisal Alvi, in retaliation for his role in the fight against militants in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. He also led an al-Qa'ida-linked cell in planning for the assassination of a Pakistani Army general – a plan that was eventually abandoned due to al-Qa'ida's strategic considerations.
"Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri is at the core of HUJI's efforts to plan and carry out attacks against U.S. forces and our allies. He is responsible for creating a cadre of militants to act on behalf of HUJI and al-Qaida," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey. "In acting together, the United States and United Nations are today taking another important step in combating the threat that al-Qa'ida and its affiliated organizations pose to innocent people around the world."
Since 2001, Kashmiri has led HUJI training camps that specialized in terrorist operations, military tactics, and cross-border operations, including a militant training center in Miram Shah, North Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. In January 2009, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois indicted Kashmiri for terrorism-related offenses in connection with a terrorist attack against the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Denmark.
HUJI's area of operation extends throughout South Asia, with its terrorist operations focused primarily in India and Pakistan. HUJI's relationship with al-Qa'ida flourished after the Taliban's rise in Afghanistan. It has provided fighters for the Taliban in Afghanistan and training of HUJI members in al-Qa'ida training camps. HUJI has carried out a number of terrorist attacks. In March 2006, HUJI was responsible for the suicide bombing of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, which killed four people and injured 48 others. HUJI is also responsible for terrorist attacks in India including the May 2007 Hyderabad mosque attack, which killed 16 and injured 40, and the March 2007 Varanasi attack, which killed 25 and injured 100.
Identifying information:
KASHMIRI, Mohammad Ilyas
AKA: KASHMIRI, Muhammad Ilyas
AKA: AL-KASHMIRI, Elias
AKA: ILYAS, Naib Amir
Title: Mufti
Alt. Title: Maulana
DOB: January 2, 1964
Alt. DOB: February 10, 1964
POB: Bhimber, Samahani Valley, Pakistan
Address: Thathi Village, Samahni, Bhimber District, Pakistan
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http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg818.htm
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