[h=3]By ADAM ENTOUS And JAY SOLOMON[/h]WASHINGTON—The Obama administration plans to designate the Pakistan-based Haqqani militant network as a terrorist organization, U.S. officials said Friday, a move that could complicate Washington's already frayed relations with Islamabad.
The formal designation of Haqqani as a terrorist group steps up pressure on a group that the U.S. says is behind some of the more spectacular attacks against American troops in Afghanistan, as well as other acts of international violence.
Washington has repeatedly called for Pakistan to crack down on the group, whose ties to the country's intelligence service are seen at times as serving Islamabad's interests. Last year, U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, then chairman of the joint Chiefs of Staff, called Haqqani a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's intelligence service, a charge Islamabad denies.
ReutersU.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton, seen in June
The designation by the State Department could create another crisis with Pakistan, which has long viewed the Haqqanis as a means of exerting influence in neighboring Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials.
The question of whether to designate the Haqqani network a terrorist organization divided the Obama administration and its allies. Branding Haqqani as a terrorist group could carry the implication that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism because of its support for the group.
Some officials, mainly at the State Department, have argued that labeling Haqqani a terrorist group could prevent the U.S. from entering into negotiations with the group on ending the war in neighboring Afghanistan.
These officials also have argued that the designation would mainly be of symbolic value since many of the Haqqani network's known leaders already have been blacklisted under Treasury and State Department sanctions.
But military leaders in Afghanistan and at the Pentagon, frustrated by Pakistan's unwillingness to take on the group, pressed for designating the Haqqanis as a terrorist organization to increase pressure on the group as well as on Islamabad.
Congress, pressuring the administration for action, passed legislation earlier this year that required the State Department to decide by Friday whether or not to designate the Haqqani network a terrorist organization.
The Haqqanis have been behind a series of attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, including attacks this spring targeting the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, prompting the Central Intelligence Agency to step up drone strikes on the group in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Write to Adam Entous at [email protected] and Jay Solomon at [email protected]
The formal designation of Haqqani as a terrorist group steps up pressure on a group that the U.S. says is behind some of the more spectacular attacks against American troops in Afghanistan, as well as other acts of international violence.
Washington has repeatedly called for Pakistan to crack down on the group, whose ties to the country's intelligence service are seen at times as serving Islamabad's interests. Last year, U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, then chairman of the joint Chiefs of Staff, called Haqqani a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's intelligence service, a charge Islamabad denies.
ReutersU.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton, seen in June
The designation by the State Department could create another crisis with Pakistan, which has long viewed the Haqqanis as a means of exerting influence in neighboring Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials.
The question of whether to designate the Haqqani network a terrorist organization divided the Obama administration and its allies. Branding Haqqani as a terrorist group could carry the implication that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism because of its support for the group.
Some officials, mainly at the State Department, have argued that labeling Haqqani a terrorist group could prevent the U.S. from entering into negotiations with the group on ending the war in neighboring Afghanistan.
These officials also have argued that the designation would mainly be of symbolic value since many of the Haqqani network's known leaders already have been blacklisted under Treasury and State Department sanctions.
But military leaders in Afghanistan and at the Pentagon, frustrated by Pakistan's unwillingness to take on the group, pressed for designating the Haqqanis as a terrorist organization to increase pressure on the group as well as on Islamabad.
Congress, pressuring the administration for action, passed legislation earlier this year that required the State Department to decide by Friday whether or not to designate the Haqqani network a terrorist organization.
The Haqqanis have been behind a series of attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, including attacks this spring targeting the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, prompting the Central Intelligence Agency to step up drone strikes on the group in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Write to Adam Entous at [email protected] and Jay Solomon at [email protected]