PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The United States has placed unprecedented sanctions on an Islamic school in northwest Pakistan for allegedly training and financing fighters from al-Qaida and other militant groups.

The sanctions against Jamia Taleem-Ul-Quran-Wal-Hadith Madrassa, also known as the Ganj Madrassa, in the city of Peshawar were the first to target an Islamic school, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said in a statement Tuesday.

Critics have long accused radical Islamic schools in Pakistan of brainwashing young boys and training them to become militants.

The U.S. also placed sanctions on a man accused of being al-Qaida’s leader in the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Baluchistan. Umar Siddique Kathio Azmarai has also been a significant financial facilitator for the group, moving hundreds of thousands of dollars to support operations, and he managed logistics for Osama bin Laden’s family members, the U.S. said.

“Today’s action strikes at the heart of the financial and logistical support network that abuses charitable donations and provides essential services for various terrorist groups,” including al-Qaida, the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba, said David Cohen, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. “We will continue to work with our partners around the world to dismantle these terrorist networks, especially those that try to conceal their sinister activities behind critical community organizations like madrassas.”