U.S. Treasury Slaps Sanctions on Taliban Top Bomb-maker
The U.S. Treasury on Friday slapped sanctions on a man they said was a top bomb-maker of the Taliban, aiming to further cut off his and the Afghan insurgency's access to financial support.
The Treasury said Abdul Samad Achekzai has a central role in Taliban operations building improvised explosive devices in western and southern Afghanistan.
Samad was responsible for getting the materials for the IEDs, building them, and training others to do so, it said.
The roadside bombs have contributed to a large proportion of the death of coalition troops battling the insurgency in the country.
Samad has also deployed a number of suicide bomb attacks against Coalition Forces and Afghan authorities as well.
"This is the first sanctions action specifically targeting the Taliban's IED manufacturer and support network," the Treasury said in a statement.
"As a key official in the Taliban's IED supply network, Abdul Samad Achekzai is responsible for untold death and suffering."
The sanctions order the freezing of any of Samad's assets held by U.S. entities, and bans U.S. entities and citizens from any transactions with him.
Source: Agence France Presse
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