The Department of State has amended the designation of Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) to include the aliases Milli Muslim League (MML) and Tehreek-e- Azadi-e Kashmir (TAJK). The aliases have been added to LeT’s designations as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224.

These designations seek to deny LeT the resources it needs to plan and carry out further terrorist attacks. Among other consequences of the designations, LeT’s property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group.

Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State, noted that “today’s amendments take aim at Lashkar e-Tayyiba’s efforts to circumvent sanctions and deceive the public about its true character. Make no mistake: whatever LeT chooses to call itself, it remains a violent terrorist group. The United States supports all efforts to ensure that LeT does not have a political voice until it gives up violence as a tool of influence.”

Formed in the 1980s, LeT was responsible for the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India that killed 166 people, including six Americans, and has killed dozens of Indian security forces and civilians in recent years. LeT continues to operate freely within Pakistan, holding public rallies, raising funds, and plotting and training for terrorist attacks. The Department of State designated LeT as an FTO and SDGT on December 26, 2001. Its leader, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, is also designated as an SDGT.

To avoid sanctions, LeT has repeatedly changed its name over the years. In January 2017, LeT began operating under the name Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir. LeT has engaged in terrorist activities under this name, including inciting terrorism, as well as recruiting and fundraising. In August 2017, LeT chief Hafiz Saeed created the MML to serve as a political front for the group. LeT members make up MML’s leadership and the so-called party openly displays Saeed’s likeness in its election banners and literature.

Concurrently with today’s State Department actions, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated seven members of the MML central leadership body for acting for on behalf of LeT: Saifullah Khalid, Muzammil Iqbal Hashimi, Muhammad Harris Dar, Tabish Qayyuum, Fayyaz Ahmad, Faisal Nadeem, and Muhammad Ehsan.

Today’s actions notify the U.S. public and the international community that TAJK and MML are aliases of LeT. Terrorism designations expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of U.S. agencies and other governments.

A list of State Department-designated FTOs and SDGTs is available here: https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/index.htm.

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Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells will travel to New Delhi, India, April 3-6. On April 4, she will co-lead the U.S. delegation with Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton at the U.S.-India-Japan Trilateral Dialogue. On April 6, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Wells will participate in the India-U.S. Forum, hosted by the Ananta Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs. During her visit, she will also meet with senior Indian government officials to discuss regional and global issues and meet with representatives from the private sector.

For more information, please follow her activities @State_SCA or contact SCA-Press@state.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Following his re-election, we look forward to continuing to work with President Abdelfattah al-Sisi to advance our strategic partnership and address our common challenges, while encouraging respect for and protection of basic rights and freedoms. The United States values its strong partnership with Egypt and will continue to work to advance our shared objectives.

We have noted reports of constraints on freedoms of expression and association in the run-up to the elections. We will continue to encourage a broadening of opportunities for political participation for Egyptians, and emphasize the importance of the protection of human rights and the vital role of civil society in Egypt.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

The U.S. Department of State has renewed the Charter of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee for a two-year period, effective April 8, 2018. First established in 1983 by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (Public Law 97-446), the Cultural Property Advisory Committee advises the President of the United States on appropriate U.S. action in response to requests from foreign governments for cultural property agreements. Cultural property agreements with other countries are collaborative tools to prevent illicit excavation and trade in cultural objects. Once an agreement is in place, importation into the United States of designated material is prohibited except under certain exceptional circumstances. U.S. efforts to protect and preserve cultural heritage through these agreements promote stability, economic development, and good governance within the concerned countries, while denying critical financing to terrorist organizations and other criminal networks that engage in such illicit trade.

The Presidentially appointed members of the Committee include private-sector experts in archaeology, anthropology, ethnology, and related fields; experts in the international sale of cultural property; representatives of museums; and the general public. The President has delegated decision-making responsibility for cultural property agreements to the Secretary of State, and the Committee submits its findings and recommendations directly to the Department of State.

For further information, please contact ECA-Press@state.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton will travel to Malaysia April 2-3 to co-chair the 31st U.S.-ASEAN Dialogue with Malaysia Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Dato’ Ramlan Ibrahim. This Dialogue is an opportunity for Senior Officials from the United States and ASEAN to engage on regional security, economic, and socio-cultural issues across the full spectrum of the U.S.-ASEAN Strategic Partnership. She will also hold bilateral consultations with other Malaysian government officials, in addition to engaging with civil society and meeting with U.S. Embassy staff.

For further information, please follow her activities @USAsiaPacific.
 

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.