The United States has designated Abdul Aziz Haqqani, brother of Haqqani Network leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, as a ‘global terroris’. The move comes a year after the State Department announced a $5 million reward for information on his precise whereabouts.
The Pakistan-based Haqqani Network has, for years, been carrying out terrorist attacks deep inside Afghanistan — a continuing source of friction between Washington and Islamabad. Unhappy with the extent of action Pakistan is taking against the Haqqanis in their safe havens, the US has recently threatened to block $300 million in military aid.
“For several years, Aziz Haqqani has been involved in planning and carrying out improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan Government targets, and assumed responsibility for all major Haqqani Network attacks after the death of his brother, Badruddin Haqqani,” the State Department said as it announced his punitive designation.
Following this designation, all property under US jurisdiction in which Aziz Haqqani has any interest will be blocked and US persons will be prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him.
The US had already put Sirajuddin Haqqani and three others — Zakir, Yahya and Khalil — on its ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ list and designated the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.“The Haqqani Network has planned and carried out a number of significant kidnappings and attacks against US interests in Afghanistan, as well as Afghan government and civilian targets,” the State Department said.
Just last week, a massive car bomb attack targeting a US-led NATO mission convoy, killed 12 people in Kabul, including three Virginia-based American
civilian contractors.While the group behind the suicide attack is still be identified, the Haqqani Network is among the militant outfits suspected of involvement.
