US set to blacklist Haqqani network
US media reports country preparing to blacklist the Haqqani network, accused of high-profile attacks.
News media reported that the United States is preparing to blacklist the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, accused of some high-profile attacks.
According to the New York Times, senior officials who argued against blacklisting the group were concerned it could further damage relations with Pakistan and possibly jeopardize the fate of U.S. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl who is being held by the militants.
But the US is set to start preparing the blacklist as early as Friday.
Designation by the State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization would bring sanctions such as criminal penalties for anyone providing material support to the group and seizure of any assets in the United States.
But State Department and military officials who argued for the designation believed it would help curtail the group's fund-raising activities in countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and pressure Pakistan to act against the militants, the newspaper said.
"This shows that we are using everything we can to put the squeeze on these guys," one administration official involved in the process told the New York Times on condition of anonymity. The newspaper said four administration officials late Thursday said the government was going ahead with the designation.
The al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network has been blamed by U.S. officials for some of the worst recent attacks in Afghanistan, including attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and on U.S. troops.