UN designates Pakistan Taliban leader Noor Mehsud as global terrorist

The United Nations on Thursday (local time) designated Pakistan based terror organisation Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan’s leader, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, as a global terrorist.

The United States Security Council 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee added Mehsud to its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.

Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud was listed pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 4 of resolution 2368 (2017) for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of” entities associated with Al-Qaida.

The United States has welcomed the development.

“Welcome news that the @UN has added Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan leader Noor Wali Mehsud to its ISIL & AQ sanctions list. TTP is responsible for many deadly terrorist attacks in Pakistan. The United States domestically designated Noor Wali as a terrorist in September 2019,” State SCA tweeted.

TTP, also known as Pakistan Taliban, is responsible for carrying out multiple suicide bombings, and have killed hundreds of civilians. TTP was earlier designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the Department of State.

Noor Wali, also known as Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, was named the leader of TTP in June 2018 following the death of former TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah. Under Noor Wali’s leadership, TTP has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly terrorist attacks across Pakistan, according to the US State Department.

Last year in September, The United States had domestically designated Mehsud as a terrorist.

This comes as another blow to Pakistan which has been repeatedly called out by the world community for supporting the terrorist groups. Pakistan has been under the FATF radar for its complicity towards terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) among others.

Last year, the United Nations designated Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist”.