Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations

Today I am taking another important step in our campaign to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. I am designating two groups, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LET) and Jaish e-Mohammed (JEM), as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under U.S. law.

These groups, which claim to be supporting the people of Kashmir, have conducted numerous terrorist attacks in India and Pakistan. As the recent horrific attacks against the Indian parliament and the Srinigar State Legislative Assembly so clearly show, the Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Jaish e-Mohammed, and their ilk seek to assault democracy, undermine peace and stability in South Asia, and destroy relations between India and Pakistan.

By designating these groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and publishing that decision today in the Federal Register, we implement the provisions of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. This Act makes it illegal for persons in the United States or subject to U.S. jurisdiction to provide material support to these terrorist groups; it requires U.S. financial institutions to block assets held by them; and it enables us to deny visas to representatives of these groups. I made this decision in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury after an exhaustive review of these groups’ violent activities.

The United States looks forward to working with the governments of both India and Pakistan to shut these groups down.