Taliban Blacklisted

The U.S. has put the Pakistani Taliban cell on the list of international terrorist organizations. The Justice Department issued a warrant for the arrest of the movement’s leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, on charges of conspiring to kill American citizens abroad. In addition, members of the group are accused of organizing attacks in the U.S., in absentia. For any information which may lead to the arrest of the leader of the movement, the U.S. authorities have announced a reward of $5 million.

The U.S. State Department published a corresponding statement. In particular, it reports that the directive to include Tehrik-e-Taliban (Pakistani Taliban Movement) on the blacklist was signed by the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, on Aug. 12. It will be recalled that the proposal for the organization’s placement on the blacklist came from a group of senators, after the organization claimed responsibility for an unsuccessful attempt to trigger a bomb in a parked car on New York’s Times Square in May 2010.

The circulated document states that these terrorists pose a threat to the national security of Pakistan and the U.S. In particular, Washington said, “The purpose of Tehrik-e-Taliban is to overthrow the government of Pakistan by launching a campaign of terror against the civilian leadership of the country and the military high command. Targets of attacks by the group also include NATO forces in Afghanistan.”* As such, the “Tehrik-e Taliban have claimed responsibility for numerous attacks on the Pakistani authorities and those who represent U.S. interests,”* reports AFP.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice filed in absentia charges of organizing an attack on the CIA base “Chapman” against the group’s leader, Mehsud. As you may recall, the attack, which was perpetrated by a suicide bomber, killed eight people, four of whom were staff members of U.S intelligence. Moreover, six people were injured, including the CIA’s second in command in Afghanistan.

Following the attack, the U.S. Secret Service publicly promised that the organizers of the attack would not escape retribution. It is believed that this act of terrorism was the deadliest for the CIA since 1983, when an explosion at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut killed eight employees of the American intelligence agency.

According to the State Department, it is the Pakistani Taliban that is the organizer of an explosion at a U.S. consulate in Peshawar in April of this year. Then, six Pakistani nationals were killed by a suicide bomber. It is believed that Tehrik-e Taliban has killed at least 3,500 people in the last three years.

Formally introducing the organization to the blacklist means the prohibition of entry into the U.S., the freezing of its accounts in U.S. banks and a ban on cooperation with the organization in any form. In addition, liaison with the Pakistani Taliban will now be a crime against the United States.

You may recall that the Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure), accused of committing terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, also appears on the American blacklist of international terrorist organizations. Further to that, included on the list are the Palestinian Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah, the Irish IRA and the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka. In all, Washington officially lists 47 international terrorist organizations.

*Editor’s Note: These quotes, though accurately translated, could not be verified.