Trump declares TTP chief global terrorist

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has designated the chief of the proscribed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a global terrorist in a new executive order, Geo News reported on Wednesday.

According to a State Department press release, the department said Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud was named the leader of TTP in June 2018 following the death of former TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah. Under Noor Wali’s leadership, TTP has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly terrorist attacks across Pakistan.

“Since the horrific attacks of 9/11, the US government has refocused its counterterrorism efforts to constantly adapt to emerging threats. President Trump’s modernised counterterrorism executive order enhances the authorities we use to target the finances of terror groups and their leaders to ensure they are as robust as possible,” US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said.

He added: “These new authorities will allow the US government to starve terrorists of resources they need to attack the United States and our allies and will hold foreign financial institutions who continue to peace talks with the Taliban over the weekend in retaliation for a bomb attack that killed one US soldier last week.

He also warned militants against ever carrying out an attack in the US again. “If for any reason, they come back to our country, we will go wherever they are, and use power, the likes of which the United States has never used before,” Trump said. “I’m not even talking about nuclear power. They will never have seen anything like what will happen to them,” he added.

The warlike comments came as al-Qaeda, which carried out the attacks, released a video calling for assaults on American, European, Israeli and Russian interests. The militant group’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri criticised “backtrackers” from jihad in the 33-minute video, according to Site Intelligence Group.