An Afghan money changer counts US dollars in Kabul. (file) U.S. citizens are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Khan.
As a result of this designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which Bahawal Khan may have any interest is blocked.
The United States Department of State has named Bahawal Khan, leader of the Pakistan-based Commander Nazir Group, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
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U.S. Designates Bahawal Khan As A Terrorist
As a result of this designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which Bahawal Khan may have any interest is blocked. As well, U.S. citizens are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Khan. The Commander Nazir Group, or CNG, was designated under the same Executive Order on February 26 of this year.
According to the U.S. State Department, since 2006, the Commander Nazir Group has run training camps, dispatched suicide bombers, provided safe haven for al Qaeda fighters, and conducted cross-border operations in Afghanistan against the United States and its allies. In addition to its attacks against international forces in Afghanistan, the CNG is also responsible for assassinations and intimidation operations against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
For example, CNG claimed responsibility for a March 2008 vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack in front of an army brigade headquarters in Zari Noor, South Waziristan, Pakistan, which killed five Pakistani soldiers and injured 11 more.
In January of 2013, Bahawal Khan was appointed as the new leader of the Commander Nazir Group.
Khan has previously served as a sub-commander for CNG in South Waziristan and has fought with the Taliban since the late 1990s. Khan and CNG have vowed to continue the group’s activities, including supporting al-Qa’ida and conducting attacks in Afghanistan.
The terrorism sanctions placed on Bahawal Khan and on the Commander Nazir Group demonstrate the United States’ commitment to eliminate the ability of terrorists to execute violent attacks and to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat terrorist networks.
