US Sanctions Kashmiri Militant Group 'Hizbul Mujahideen'

Senior leader of Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin - SAJJAD QAYYUM/AFP PHOTO
Senior leader of Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin - SAJJAD QAYYUM/AFP PHOTO
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US Sanctions Kashmiri Militant Group 'Hizbul Mujahideen'

Senior leader of Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin - SAJJAD QAYYUM/AFP PHOTO
Senior leader of Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin - SAJJAD QAYYUM/AFP PHOTO

The United States on Wednesday said it had sanctioned 'Hizbul Mujahideen', the largest of the anti-Indian Kashmiri militant groups.

The US Treasury Department, in a statement on its website reported by Reuters, said it had listed the Pakistan-based group as a counter- designated group, freezing any assets it may hold in the Untied States and prohibiting Americans from dealings with it.

"These designations seek to deny HM (Hizbul Mujahideen) the resources it needs to carry out terrorist attacks," the US State Department said in a separate statement, according to Reuters.

In announcing the designation, the State Department said the group had claimed responsibility for several attacks, including one in 2014 in Jammu and Kashmir that left 17 people injured.

Last month, the United States also designated Syed Salahuddin, a militant commander for the group, as a terrorist - a label he denounced.

Such designations are aimed at denying individuals and entities access to the US financial system.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir as a whole.

Pakistan has denied giving material help to Kashmiri separatists but has pledged to provide continued diplomatic and moral support.

India blames Pakistan for stoking the 28-year-old revolt in Muslim-majority Kashmir and has stepped up its pressure on Pakistan over the conflict.



Chinese Navy Survey Ship Entered Japanese Waters, Japan's Defense Ministry Says

A Chinese naval Z-9 helicopter prepares to land aboard the People's Liberation Army (Navy) frigate CNS Huangshan (FFG-570) as the ship conducts a series of maneuvers and exchanges with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) in the South China Sea June 16, 2017/Reuters
A Chinese naval Z-9 helicopter prepares to land aboard the People's Liberation Army (Navy) frigate CNS Huangshan (FFG-570) as the ship conducts a series of maneuvers and exchanges with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) in the South China Sea June 16, 2017/Reuters
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Chinese Navy Survey Ship Entered Japanese Waters, Japan's Defense Ministry Says

A Chinese naval Z-9 helicopter prepares to land aboard the People's Liberation Army (Navy) frigate CNS Huangshan (FFG-570) as the ship conducts a series of maneuvers and exchanges with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) in the South China Sea June 16, 2017/Reuters
A Chinese naval Z-9 helicopter prepares to land aboard the People's Liberation Army (Navy) frigate CNS Huangshan (FFG-570) as the ship conducts a series of maneuvers and exchanges with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) in the South China Sea June 16, 2017/Reuters

A Chinese Navy survey vessel briefly entered Japanese territorial waters on Saturday, Japan's defence ministry said.

The ship was detected in Japanese territory off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the southwest of the country, at around 6 a.m. local time (2100 GMT Friday), and had departed by 7:53 a.m., the ministry said on its website, Reuters reported.

This is the tenth time over the past year that a Chinese Navy survey ship has sailed through Japan's territorial waters, and the 13th time if submarines and intelligence-gathering vessels are included, according to national broadcaster NHK.