LOC20:44
17:44 GMT
WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (KUNA) -- A financial entity in Pakistan and two men involved with the Taliban are now Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), according to the US Department of the Treasury.
Their US assets have been frozen, and US persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them, said a statement.
Basir Zarjmil Hawala and its owner, Haji Abdul Basir, are being designated for providing financial services or other support to the Taliban, the Treasury affirmed. In addition, Taliban commander Qari Rahmat is being designated for acting or on behalf of the Taliban.
The Treasury said the Basir Zarjmil Hawala institution, based in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, distributes money to Taliban members and commanders in Afghanistan.
In 2012, it conducted thousands of dollars in transactions related to weapons and other operational expenses for the group.
The man who runs the operation, Haji Abdul Basir, is said to have distributed thousands of dollars through his "hawala" (remittance) to Taliban members in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, and "also transferred money to Taliban elders, and facilitated the travel of Taliban informants to Afghanistan."
The Treasury noted that four years ago, Basir solicited donations for the Taliban from Pakistani and Afghan expatriates living in Asia and the Middle East.
The second individual, a senior commander with the Taliban in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province, Qari Rahmat, directed the activities of approximately 300 Taliban operatives in Achin District and provided operational guidance and weapons to these operatives, said the Treasury.
He is said to have led attacks on Afghan forces and "also collects taxes and bribes on behalf of the Taliban."
The statement added that two years ago, Rahmat provided rocket propelled grenades, PKM light machine guns, and AK-47 assault rifles to the group, and sheltered Taliban fighters at his guesthouse. (end)
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