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Jundullah faces US terrorist title

* Inclusion on list will prohibit US citizens, companies and government agencies from supporting militant group

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: The United States State Department is considering placing Jundullah on its terrorism list to send a conciliatory signal to Iran.

Jundullah has killed scores of Iranian soldiers and border guards since 2003. Most recently it has claimed responsibility for the Thursday suicide bombing in an Iranian mosque that killed 25 and wounded 125. Some US officials argue that the administration should swiftly place a terrorist label on Jundullah as a sign of Washington’s good faith.Others, however, see the move as a premature giveaway. State Department officials say the terrorist designation is not based on whether a group is attacking an ally and can take six months or longer because officials have to compile detailed dossiers that would hold up under a court challenge. State Department’s Designations Unit chief Jason Blazakis declined to say whether Jundullah was being considered. But another official estimated that the State Department was halfway through the process. Yet another said the process was underway but might never be completed.

Inclusion on the list would prohibit US citizens, companies, or government agencies from supporting the group, and trigger criminal or civil penalties for doing so.

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