We now have the first official action in the new global struggle against violent extremism.
The US sponsored a resolution passed by the UN security council that is meant to cut the flow of funds to Al Qaida, the Taliban and affiliated organizations like Anser Al Islam.
More below the fold:
yahoo news
UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that expands U.N. sanctions against al-Qaida terrorists and Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers to affiliates and splinter groups.
Sanctions currently require all 191 U.N. member states to impose a travel ban and arms embargo against Osama bin Laden, the Taliban leaders and those "associated with" them, and to freeze their financial assets.
The new resolution adopted by the council spells out for the first time who is included among those "associated with" al-Qaida and the Taliban.
It states that sanctions will apply to people who participate in financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating acts to support the outlawed groups and who recruit, supply, sell or transfer weapons to bin Laden, al-Qaida, the Taliban "or any cell, affiliate, splinter group or derivative thereof."
For the first time, the resolution also urges nations to enact recommendations set out by the Financial Action Task Force, a group of more than 50 nations seeking to tighten controls on underground money transfers used to bankroll the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and other terrorist activities.
Earlier this year, a U.N. team investigating compliance with the sanctions against al-Qaida and the Taliban found that bin Laden's followers still have easy access to bombmaking materials and money.
The resolution also sets up a monitoring team to assess national efforts to implement sanctions against al-Qaida and the Taliban. The team would help come up with ways to punish countries that willingly ignore the sanctions.
This seems to be part of a strategic shift from a pure military action to a more coordinated effort to isolate the people that most represent a threat to America and cutting off funding is a big part of that.
The overall effort seems to be moving from a war fought by the Pentagon and the military to a diplomatic and covert struggle fought by the state department and the CIA.
Comments anyone and stay tuned: