US slaps sanctions on Haqqani commander, others

[Devil Soul]

US slaps sanctions on Haqqani commander, others
By Reuters
Published: September 29, 2011
WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department on Thursday announced new sanctions on five individuals it said are linked to “the most dangerous terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
“These financiers and facilitators provide the fuel for the Taliban, Haqqani Network and al Qaeda to realize their violent aspirations,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said in a statement.
These restrictions imposed by the US Treasury Department are formal sanctions levied on behalf of the US government.
As a result of the action, US companies and individuals are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with the targeted individuals and any assets they hold under US jurisdiction are frozen, Treasury said.
The group includes Abdul Aziz Abbasin, who the Treasury Department described as a “key commander in the Haqqani Network,” which is headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani and accused of a series of high-profile attacks.
“Abbasin commands a group of Taliban fighters and has assisted in running a training camp for foreign fighters in Paktika Province, and also has been involved in ambushing supply vehicles of Afghan government forces and the transport of weapons to Afganistan,” Treasury said
Also targeted was Haiji Faizullah Khan Noorzai, who Treasury said was a prominent Taliban financier, and his brother, Haiji Malik Noorzai, a Pakistan-based businessman.
The two have invested “millions of dollars in various businesses for the Taliban,” Treasury said.
It also designated Abdur Rehman, who Treasury described as Taliban facilitator and fundraiser, and Fazal Rahim, who Treasury said was a financial facilitator for al Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and had been arrested by Pakistani authorities in 2010.
Prior to his arrest in May 2010, Rahim was a financial facilitator for al Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a designated terrorist organization. Rahim worked as an IMU financier alongside former IMU leader Tohir Yuldashev, who was killed in an explosion in Pakistan in August 2009.

 

[53fd]

The US Treasury Department have not declared the Haqqani network as a terrorist group, or asked the UN to do so.

All they have said is that they are linked to "the most dangerous terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

 

[VCheng]

The US Treasury Department have not declared the Haqqani network as a terrorist group, or asked the UN to do so.

All they have said is that they are linked to "the most dangerous terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

Very good observation.

I think it means that USA is giving every possible chance to Pakistan to change its policies, and I hope Pakistan can read the signals correctly.

 

[53fd]

Very good observation.

I think it means that USA is giving every possible chance to Pakistan to change its policies, and I hope Pakistan can read the signals correctly.

Or it means the US is envious of Pakistan's relationship with the Haqqanis, & would want it for itself.

 

[VCheng]

Or it means the US is envious of Pakistan's relationship with the Haqqanis, & would want it for itself.

Yes, it could mean that, but highly unlikely.

 

[53fd]

Very good observation.

I think it means that USA is giving every possible chance to Pakistan to change its policies, and I hope Pakistan can read the signals correctly.

A better way to give Pakistan a chance to change its policies would be by declaring the Haqqani network as an international terrorist group, not the opposite.

 

[blain2]

It is very unlikely that the Americans themselves do not have any contacts with the Haqqanis. The issue in my mind is that these blokes are not on the same page as the Americans and as a result, there is pressure to soften them up and force them to get on the table by making their demands more manageable. The fact is simply that, in order to make the American position on the bargaining table stronger, Pakistan would have to pay with a lot more blood than any one in Pakistan is willing to do (rightly so too because Pakistan wins nothing either way and stands to lose out in the form of more loss of life and economic impact within the country. The way forward is to have track II with the Haqqanis and the Americans on the backend and make them come to some sort of an agreement without destabilizing Pakistan further).

---------- Post added at 12:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 PM ----------

A better way to give Pakistan a chance to change its policies would be by declaring the Haqqani network as an international terrorist group, not the opposite.

Once designated an Int'l terror group, the US government cannot have any contact with such an organization and this bodes ill for future talks to stabilize Afghanistan. There are no easy choices in this messy situation for anyone (incl. Pakistan and the US).

 

[karan.1970]

The thing most pakistanis miss out is the reason why American is hesitating in naming Haqquanis as a terror group. It seems to me that US military/State department has some proof that links Haqquanis to ISI and Pak govt. Now while Haqquanis are just another group in Afghanistan that US is fighting, its business as usual. However once they are declared as an FTO, the people in the know become law bound to disclose this linkage to congress and then keeping any kind of relationship going with ISI/Pakistan will be a legal nightmare for the US state department.

A lot of people here have a weird idea that the delay in naming Haqqannis as an FTO has something to do with USA serenading them or something..

 

[53fd]

Once designated an Int'l terror group, the US government cannot have any contact with such an organization and this bodes ill for future talks to stabilize Afghanistan. There are no easy choices in this messy situation for anyone (incl. Pakistan and the US).

As I said, the US is envious of Pakistan's relationship with the Haqqanis, & would want it for itself.

 

[TOPGUN]

Kill all these bastards straight up nothing less will do .

 

[53fd]

The thing most pakistanis miss out is the reason why American is hesitating in naming Haqquanis as a terror group. It seems to me that US military/State department has some proof that links Haqquanis to ISI and Pak govt. Now while Haqquanis are just another group in Afghanistan that US is fighting, its business as usual. However once they are declared as an FTO, the people in the know become law bound to disclose this linkage to congress and then keeping any kind of relationship going with ISI/Pakistan will be a legal nightmare for the US state department.

A lot of people here have a weird idea that the delay in naming Haqqannis as an FTO has something to do with USA serenading them or something..

That scenario is extremely unlikely (that they have credible evidence of the Haqqanis serving as a proxy to the ISI, its veritable arm), even the Pentagon & the White House have refused to support Mullen's claim. If there was any credible evidence of such a thing, it would be out already.

 

[karan.1970]

That scenario is extremely unlikely (that they have credible evidence of the Haqqanis serving as a proxy to the ISI), even the Pentagon & the White House have refused to support Mullen's claim. If there was any credible evidence of such a thing, it would be out already.

As you notice, I have not mentioned whether the evidence is credible or not.. Or the extent of control ISI has on Haqquanis. The thing is that once designated as an FTO, the treatment of Haqqunis linkages(as seen by the US) will be governed by USA's laws and not only by stand alone decisions of its generals and politicians.

BTW, there is nothing in the either of the 2 articles where any NAMED source has differed with Mullen except on the language used.

 

[muse]

In day before yesterdays' The News International Op/ED section, Mohammad Malick argued that the real reason the US has come up with the "attack Haqqani" line for Pakistan is that the US wishes that it could exercise the kind of influence Pakistan can on the Afghan groups opposing the US occupation and deny the possibility of such influence to Pakistan.

Inded the Pakistanis have challenged the US to put sanction on the Haqqani network, because they know all too well, that this would leave the US no one to negotiate with -- and therefore as predicted the US has not placed any sanctions on the Haqqani network but rather on individuals - both Noorzai, both who have more to do with narcotics than insurgency

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

those mountain-dwellers probably never even opened a checking account in their life; US State Department acting like they had shares in Apple Corporation and a stake in Goldman Sachs

a symbolic move though; quite ironic as well, considering the largesse they used to benefit from via the U.S. government some years back -- when most of you guys were either shıtting in your diapers or not even born yet.

 

[Omar1984]

These people love to fight and are not bribed by money. I doubt they ever seen a bank in their lives.