WASHINGTON, Oct 12: Jaish-i-Mohammad is among the additions to the list of organizations whose assets have been frozen for suspected links to terrorism.
The group is included in the 39 entities and individuals added on Friday to the list of 27 issued earlier by the US government.
While not on the list of the State Department’s officially designated terrorist organizations, Jaish is on the department’s watch list.
Also among the additions are Haji Abdul Mannan of Al Qadir Traders in Quetta, described as a “havala trader,” Mufti Rashid Ahmad, who “may be in Karachi” and is believed to have links with the Al Rashid Trust, mentioned in the previous list, and an organization called Rabita Trust.
Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill signed a “blocking order” freezing assets in the US of the organizations on this and the previous list. The Bush administration is providing the list to other governments as well, asking them to join the international crackdown on terror financing.
Mr O’Neill said 62 nations had already frozen some assets and that 102 more nations had indicated an intent to join that aspect of the international coalition.
The British government on Friday also issued a list of 38 organizations and individuals who may have connections with international terrorist groups. The list includes six organizations and 32 people.
The US ordered the freeze of the assets of another 39 suspected terrorists and their supporters, escalating a global effort to choke off the financing of terror, adds AFP.
“ This morning we took the next step in this financial war,” US Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill told a news conference.
O’Neill and Secretary of State Colin Powell notified all financial institutions in the United States to block the assets of the 39 individuals and entities, he said.
All members of the Group of Seven — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — were acting simultaneously, the treasury department said.
US President George W.Bush had already issued to US institutions on Sept 24 an initial list of 27 individuals and organizations whose funds must be blocked, also warning overseas banks to follow suit. The new list brought the total to 66.
“The list includes businesses and charitable organizations that funnel money to the al-Qaeda terrorist network,” O’Neill said.
All 22 of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists were included.
“ We coordinated this blocking order with our allies around the world, and many of them instituted blocking orders today as well,” O’Neill said.
“This list will continue to grow as we share information between nations and develop an increasingly clear understanding of the complex network of terrorist financing.”
In Britain, the government ordered a freeze on the assets of another 38 individuals and organizations.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said the authorities were taking “decisive action” in liaison with the US government to crack down on terrorist funds.
In Washington, the US Treasury said authorities globally had frozen 24 million dollars in assets of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, prime suspect Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network since the attacks on US targets on Sept 11.
The United States alone had frozen nearly four million dollars of those assets with several million dollars in other assets under review, the Treasury said in a statement.
A total of 110 countries had promised to join the effort and 62 countries had already put blocking orders in force, it said.