US targets leader of group involved in attacks on allied troops in Afghanistan

The United States on Tuesday slapped sanctions on Bahawal Khan, leader of a group allegedly involved in attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. The State Department branded Khan, leader of the Pakistan-based Commander Nazir Group (CNG), as a specially designated global terrorist under an executive order targeting terrorists and those providing support to them. The ensuing sanctions include a freezing of all of Khan's assets under U.S. jurisdiction and a ban on doing business with him by Americans. The department said Khan has served as a sub-commander for CNG in South Waziristan, Pakistan, and has fought with the Taliban since the late 1990s. Khan took over in January this year as the new leader of CNG, a group the agency said has run training camps, dispatched suicide bombers, provided safe haven for al-Qaida fighters, and conducted cross-border operations in Afghanistan against the United States and its allies since 2006. "In addition to its attacks against international forces in Afghanistan, CNG is also responsible for assassinations and intimidation operations against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan," the department said in a statement. The group was blacklisted by the agency in February.