WASHINGTON, June 6 - The Department of Treasury on Thursday imposed sanctions on Abd al-Hamid al-Masli, an alleged key bomb maker for al-Qaeda.The department called the move the latest in its efforts to target the facilitators of improvised explosive devices (IED), as "Al-Qaeda continues to employ IEDs as the weapon of choice to kill and maim U.S. and coalition forces as well as countless civilians. "
The Treasury said al-Masli, a 37-year-old Libyan national, is the leader of an al-Qaeda electronics and explosives workshop in Pakistan, which produces IED components for the group's senior leadership.
"IEDs continue to be the most significant threat to coalition forces and Afghan troops in Afghanistan," the agency said, noting more than 16,000 IED attacks took place in Afghanistan last year, and nearly 4,000 IED attacks have occurred since the start of the year, causing 65 percent of U.S. combat casualties.
The sanctions against al-Masli bar American citizens from doing business with him and freeze all of his assets under U.S. jurisdiction.
"The U.S. is determined to disrupt and dismantle these IED networks through all means available, including targeted sanctions, " Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said in a statement.
