Ahead of the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, the US State Department has designated Syed Salahuddin, leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The designation will place significant sanctions on Salahuddin and also serves as an indication of the US taking a harder stand against terrorism around the world, especially terrorism in Pakistan.
The US State Department cited Salahuddin’s continued involvement in stalling any peace discussions between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue as the main reason. Additionally, Salahuddin has also been involved in training Kashmir suicide bombers as well as carrying out terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting between PM Modi and President Trump will focus on cooperation on counter-terrorism efforts between the two countries while addressing their approach to tackling global terrorism.