New Delhi/Washington: Prominent Lashkar e Taiba militant and a former commander in Jammu and Kashmir region Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil has been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the United States.

The list under Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224 of the United States imposes sanctions on “foreign persons, who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism”.

Dakhil, a long-time member of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), was an operational leader for the various attacks carried out in India between 1997 and 2001. In 2004, Dakhil was captured in Iraq by British forces and held in the US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On transfer to Pakistan in 2014, he was later released from Pakistani custody and is again reported to be ‘active’ in his operational works.

“As of early 2018, Dakhil remained a senior commander in LeT,” a US State Department said.

“The US action notifies the US public and the international community that Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the US financial system,” it said.

“Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other nations. In addition, it is a crime to knowingly provide, or attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation,” the US State Department said. (UNI)