US sanctions two LeT leaders

Washington, June 25 (IANS) The US Wednesday slapped sanctions on two key figures of Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), blamed for the deadly 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which nearly 170 people were killed and hundreds injured.

The Department of Treasury added Nazir Ahmad Chaudhry and Muhammad Hussein Gill, who have served as vice president and chief financial officer of the LeT respectively, to its list of specially designated global terrorists, Xinhua reported.

The sanctions ensue freeze of their assets on US soil and bar American citizens from doing business with them.

"In targeting Lashkar-e-Taiba leadership, today's action demonstrates our unrelenting commitment to combatting terrorism by disrupting terrorist groups' financial activities," David Cohen, treasury department undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

The US State Department listed LeT as a foreign terrorist organisation in December 2001, and the group was added to the UN sanctions list in 2005.

The Treasury Department said the group was responsible for the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai.