The U.S. Treasury Department Wednesday said two Pakistani-based groups
blacklisted as terrorist supporters are using new names in an effort to
circumvent financial sanctions.
The Bush administration
blacklisted Al Rashid Trust in September of 2001 and Al-Akhtar Trust
International in 2003. The Treasury Department says it has added the
aliases for the groups to its list of Specially Designated Global
Terrorists.
The United States accuses the groups of providing support to al-Qaida.
The
designation freezes the groups' U.S. assets and bans Americans from
making donations to or doing business with the organizations.
A
Treasury Department statement says Al Rashid Trust is now operating
under numerous other names, including Al Amin Welfare Trust and
Al-Ameen Trust.
It says Al-Akhtar Trust International is using multiple aliases, including Pakistan Relief Foundation and Azmat Pakistan Trust.
The
statement says the United States is concerned the two groups are
operating under new names to elude U.S. and U.N. sanctions and keep
funneling money to terrorists.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
