Hours before Modi-Trump meet, US declares Hizbul leader Syed Salahuddin a global terroist

The US on Monday designated Syed Salahuddin, the head of Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul- Mujahideen, as a specially designated global terrorist, a move welcomed by India which said it underlines quite strongly that both the countries face threat of terrorism.

The move by the State Department comes just hours before the first meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the White House.

As a consequence of this designation, US citizens are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of Salahuddin s property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked.

As a senior leader of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), the State Department said in September, 2016, Salahuddin, also known as Syed Mohammed Yusuf Shah, vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces".

"Under Salahuddin s tenure as senior HM leader, HM has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the April 2014 explosives attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, which injured 17 people," the State Department said. Following the designation of Salahuddin as the global terrorist, the State Department in a notification said he has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.

India welcomed the US' move. "India welcomes this notification. It underlines also quite strongly that both India and the US face threat of terrorism," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the US financial system. Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other nations, it said.