WASHINGTON, Sept 8: Top American lawmakers have asked Pakistan to redouble its efforts against the dreaded Haqqani Network, a day after it was declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US State Department.
“This is a terrorist organisation and an enemy of the United States, and I urge Pakistan to redouble its efforts— working with US and Afghan partners—to eliminate the Haqqani threat,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
In July 2012 Feinstein had introduced a legislation in the Senate instructing the Secretary of State to designate the Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist group and in May 2012 wrote Secretary Hillary Clinton a letter urging for the same.
“This action will make it harder for the Haqqani network to raise funds and operate its businesses, and will create new risks for anyone working with it. Over the past two years I have heard from leaders in the intelligence community and military in Washington and in Kabul that designation is the right thing to do,” Feinstein said.
The Pentagon, which has described Haqqani network as a significant threat to the US national security, welcomed the decision to designate it as global terrorist organisation.
“These new group designations will build on our efforts to degrade the network’s capacity to carry out attacks, including affecting fundraising abilities, targeting them with our military and intelligence resources, and pressing Pakistan to take action,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
Congressman Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he is pleased that Clinton has finally announced to officially designate the Haqqani network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
“This is a critical step that clears the path for the United States to begin to put a choke hold on the network’s finances,” Rogers said.
“The Haqqani network actively plots and kills US and allied soldiers and routinely harms innocent Afghan civilian men, women, and children in their path. In addition to actively fighting the Haqqanis on the battlefields, we must now move aggressively to block their flow of money and support and starve the network of resources,” said Rogers, who was at the forefront of efforts to declare it as a terror group.
Terming it as an action which was long due, Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the Haqqani network has long contributed to instability in Afghanistan and the region, continues to collaborate with al-Qaeda, and has the blood of American troops on their hands.
“Designating them as a foreign terrorist organization is long overdue. This designation will make it easier for General Allen to keep our forces in Afghanistan, as well as the American people, safe – and enable us to go after jihadist who pose a threat to Afghanistan and US interests. I applaud Secretary Clinton on this important decision,” he said.
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Administration’s decision to formally designate the Haqqani network a Foreign Terrorist Organisation is a welcome move but was a long overdue.
“It should not have required Congress to spur the Administration into making this decision,” she said.
Ros-Lehtinen is a primary co-sponsor on House Resolution No 6036, the Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2012, authored by Rogers.
“The Haqqani network is one of the most dangerous and violent extremist organizations operating under the al-Qaeda umbrella and is responsible for hundreds of attacks against our troops and allies in Afghanistan and the Middle East. With this formal designation we can now begin to strike at the heart of this network and attack their financial and material support,” she said. (PTI)
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