Washington:
The US has slapped sanctions against three al Qaeda leaders based in Pakistan, including Abu Yahya al-Libi, considered as its propaganda chief, and one key facilitator of the terror network, striking at the "heart" of the group's remaining leadership.
The three are leaders are commander al-Libi; senior leader Abd al-Rahman Ould Muhammad al-Husayn Ould Muhammad Salim; and al Qaeda facilitator, courier and operative Mustafa Hajji Muhammad Khan, the Department of Treasury said.
As a result of the sanctions, American citizens are prohibited from engaging in transactions with the three and any assets they may hold under US jurisdiction are frozen.
"We are targeting two of al Qaeda's top strategists and commanders in Pakistan, as well as a senior facilitator, striking at the heart of al-Qaeda's remaining leadership and its operations in Pakistan," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S Cohen.
The Treasury said Al-Libi is a senior al-Qaeda leader and commander in Pakistan responsible for the supervision of other senior network operatives.
Referred to as al Qaeda's propaganda chief, al-Libi is one of the group's most prominent public figures and plays a key role in its media operations. As of April 2010, al-Libi had released 68 messages on behalf of al Qaeda and was second in public visibility only to Ayman al-Zawahiri.
According to the Treasury, the other target Abd al-Rahman Ould Muhammad al-Husayn Ould Muhammad Salim also known as Younis al-Mauritani, is a Pakistan-based senior al Qaeda leader who was in charge of its external operations as of mid-2010 while Mustafa Hajji Muhammad Khan, has acted as an al-Qaeda facilitator, courier and operative since at least 2003.