Haqqani Commanders Warn ‘Terror’ Label Will Harm Afghan Talks

Condemn US as 'Not Sincere' on Negotiations

by Jason Ditz, September 07, 2012

The move to declare the Haqqani network a “foreign terrorist organization,” which the State Department followed through on today, may be a serious threat to Afghan peace negotiations, the group warns.

“It means the United States is not sincere in their talks. They are on the one hand claiming to look for a political solution to the Afghan issue while on the other they are declaring us terrorists,” one of the Haqqani commanders noted.

This had been the knock on the move for weeks, with officials also fearing that it would dramatically harm relations with Pakistan and might even lead to an eventual declaration by the Obama Administration of Pakistan as a “state sponsor of terror.”

Exactly how big a role in the Afghan negotiations the Haqqani network is playing is unclear, but the move once again does suggest that the US talk of moving toward reconciliation is not a straight line, and is being followed up with efforts to further prevent negotiations with key groups in and around Afghanistan.

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