UN Security Council orders sanctions against Haqqani

PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN Security Council on Monday, Nov 5, ordered global sanctions against the Haqqani militant group in Afghanistan and its suicide attack mastermind, according to AFP.

The network, which has been widely linked to Pakistan, is accused of carrying out a string of major attacks in Afghanistan including against the U.S. and Indian embassies and a major hotel in Kabul.

Haqqani and its chief suicide attack organizer, Qari Zakir, were added to the UN’s Afghanistan-Taliban sanctions list. This means nations must apply an assets freeze and travel ban against Zakir and seize any assets belonging to the network as well as impose an arms embargo.

The United States put the Haqqani network on its terror blacklist in September. The U.S. State Department added Zakir to its list of terrorist suspects on Monday.

Founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, a CIA asset turned al Qaeda ally who was close to Pakistani intelligence, the network is considered the most dangerous faction in the Taliban army in Afghanistan.

The UN designation said that the group was linked to al Qaeda, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and a string of militant groups in Pakistan including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Jaish-i-Mohammed.

The Haqqanis have been blamed for spectacular attacks on Afghan government and Nato targets across Afghanistan as well as kidnappings and murders.