US 'to designate Haqqani network a terror group'

The United States decided Friday to designate the Pakistan-linked Haqqani network as a terrorist group, stepping up pressure despite concerns over the impact on ties with Islamabad. In a report ordered by Congress, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the Haqqani network -- known for bloody attacks in Afghanistan -- was a terrorist group, an official said. Clinton "signed a report to Congress this morning stating that the Haqqani Network meets the statutory criteria for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization," the official told reporters travelling with her on a tour that saw her leave Brunei on Friday to her next stop in Vladivostok, Russia. Congress had given Clinton a deadline of Sunday to determine if the group met the characteristics to fall under the category, which makes it a crime in the United States to provide the Haqqanis with any material support. While technically Congress did not force Clinton to make an actual decision on designation, the official said that she would soon formally designate the Haqqani network as a terrorist group. President Barack Obama's administration while pressuring the Haqqani network, had previously stopped short of declaring it to be a terrorist group due to concerns over relations with Pakistan. Admiral Mike Mullen, the former head of the US military, said before stepping down last year that the Haqqani network had become a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. The United States has recently started to resume cooperation with Pakistan after relations nosedived over incidents including the killing of Osama bin Laden. But the Haqqani network triggered outrage in Washington through a series of attacks in Afghanistan that targetted US forces. Officials on Clinton's plane declined further comment, but the Obama administration is likely to seek to reassure Pakistan's government on overall relations after the designation, while also using the move as leverage. It is unclear whether the designation would lead to many prosecutions in the United States, but the move could be used to persuade funders of the group in Pakistan and Arab Gulf states to cut off funding.