US imposes sanctions on Taliban-linked terrorist commander

Sep 29, 2011, 17:10 GMT

Washington - The US Treasury imposed sanctions Thursday on an alleged commander of the Haqqani terrorist network with ties to the Taliban.

Abdul Aziz Abbasin was named as the Taliban shadow governor of Afghanistan's Orgun district in Paktika province, has commanded Taliban fighters and has helped run a terrorist training camp, according to the US government.

The Haqqani network has drawn increasing attention from the US government for its affiliation with the Taliban, and it is expected the group as a whole will soon be put on the US list of terrorist groups.

Last week, Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military officer, called the Haqqani network 'a veritable arm of Pakistan's internal services intelligence agency.'

US-Pakistani tensions increased following Mullen's remarks, but had already been strained since the US raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan earlier this year.

The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on Taliban financiers and facilitators Hajji Faizullah Khan Noorzai, Hajji Malik Noorzai and Abdur Rehman and al-Qaeda financier Fazal Rahim.

The move freezes financial assets within US control and prohibits US citizens from conducting financial transactions with them.

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