Security Council Orders Global Sanctions against Haqqani Network

The U.N. Security Council on Monday ordered global sanctions against the Haqqani militant group in Afghanistan and its suicide attack mastermind.

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 U.N.'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-Qaida ally who was close to Pakistani intelligence, the network is considered the most dangerous faction in the Taliban army in Afghanistan.

The U.N. designation said that the group was linked to al-Qaida, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and a string of militant groups in Pakistan including Tehrik Taliban Pakistan, 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.

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, said operatives trained by Zakir attacked two international coalition bases in 2010, the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul in June 2011 -- an attack which killed 11 civilians and two Afghan police -- and the U.S. embassy in Kabul in September 2011, which killed 16 Afghans, including at least six children.

It has also been blamed for an attack on the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital.

Afghanistan's spy agency said in August that the network's operational commander, Badruddin Haqqani, a son of the founder, had been killed in a U.S. drone attack. The network is now believed to be led by another son, Sirajuddin Haqqani.

The designation could embarrass Pakistan, which is currently a member of the U.N. Security Council. Many Haqqani members are believed to be sheltering in Pakistan. The United States wants Pakistan to get tough with the Haqqani network as well as cut its financing from other Muslim nations, diplomats said.