WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Friday unanimously passed a resolution urging the State Department to put the Haqqani network, which operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the US list of terrorist groups.
The late Thursday voted followed the passing of a resolution in the House of Representative last week. It now requires President Barack Obama's signature to enter into force.
The resolution says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should designate the militant network as a foreign terrorist group.
It gives the State Department 30 days to report on whether it meets the criteria under the law, and if not, to explain why not.
The Obama administration is reportedly reluctant to put the group on the terrorism list while US envoys are trying to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban that may have included the Haqqani network.
But in pushing for the measure, lawmakers noted that those talks have been halted since last year.
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers, called the resolution's passage "a significant development."
"The Haqqanis are engaged in a reign of terror in Afghanistan and the network poses the single largest threat for IEDs our soldiers face in that country," he said.
"They actively plot and kill US and allied soldiers and routinely harm innocent Afghan civilian men, women and children in their path," he said.
In June during a trip to Afghanistan, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta emphasized the key role the Haqqani network has played in numerous attacks and called on Pakistan to take action against it.
COMMENTS (15)
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What's the point of branding the Haqqani Network as a terrorist organisation now? The US is moving towards its endgame in Afghanistan. It's holding talks with the Taliban, which includes also the Haqqani. Putting it on the list would no doubt jeopardise further negotiations.
Any Pakistani supported proxy group is hazardous to Pakistan's survival.
@BruteForce: How do you know 9/11 was not a false flag? The bottom line is that nobody knows. What we do know is that America has not come up with any evidence, as to what happened, that would stand up in court. Since then, 9/11 has been used as an excuse to attack several countries, which ensured that several million people are dead who should not be. Additionally, America has used 9/11 to create a thriving industry out of terrorism and many upper level Americans have become very wealthy out of it. They are making such a great profit out of terrorism that they continually push bearded terrorism propaganda, but do not push capitalist terrorism. I do not know what the answer to the problems are, but they will not be resolved until the profit motive dries up, Americans go home and allow the world to live in peace.
@Musa: "Irony Haqqani was described as the epitomy of good by none other than Ronald Reagan in the White house and was likened by him to the founding fathers of America!!! Irony of how interests change"
Simply not true. Please provide any non-Pakistani reference to confirm this statement that is repeated endlessly within Pakistan like an echo chambers.
This decision should have been taken years earlier, better late than never.
@Complex:
How do you know it was false flag? Do you even know what a false flag operation is?
Haqqanis are freedom fighters, America is just getting desperate
In election year and after years of duplicity such a declaration against Haqqani will be a welcome action. Such a welcome action will translate in to votes for Obama. Such a declaration and OBL episode will be helpful during the presidential debate between Obama and Romney. With Romney’s gaffe in London Obama will have smooth sailing at least in the foreign policy issues. Incidentally this was his weakest area during last year. His report card on foreign policy is full of A+. I will not be surprised at all if Haqqani will be liquidated befoe Nov 2012, as he has become liability to all parties concerned.
Any case being put forward in congress to declare Burmese state sponsored genocide as atrocious. Double standards of the developed world.
Where's the news of Afghan Taliban Supreme Council condemning cross-border attacks from Pakistan into Afghanistan? ET is so slow!
Irony Haqqani was described as the epitomy of good by none other than Ronald Reagan in the White house and was likened by him to the founding fathers of America!!! Irony of how interests change
it all started with False flag 9/11.
The Haqani net work is a proclaimed terrorist organization.The US administration should take appropriate measures in this regard.The killing of the innocent people both in Pakistan and Afghanistan should not be tolerated at any cost.The Haqani Net work only and only job is to kill the people and augment the cause of Al Qaeda.The decision of the US administration to declare the Haqani Net Work a terrorist organization is very late.There shuld be zero tolerance for such people in the entire world.
I am sure Gen Kayani has taken some new decisions that align more closely with the super powers'. What would be obvious thing to do to any dimwitted person wasn't to Gen Kayani until the Americans informed him that henceforth Pakistan needs to do the needful.
If Haqqanis kill civilians then why Obama apologized to Afghan people. They are making fool the American people.