Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially designated the Haqqani Network as a foreign terrorist organization:

“I strongly support Secretary Clinton’s designation of the Haqqani Network as a foreign terrorist organization. This group is responsible for more than 1,300 killed and injured U.S. troops, orchestrates the largest attacks inside Afghanistan, assassinates Afghan leaders and seeks control of Afghan provinces.

“This action will make it harder for the Haqqani Network to raise funds and operate its businesses, and will create new risks for anyone working with it. Over the past two years I have heard from leaders in the intelligence community and military in Washington and in Kabul that designation is the right thing to do. This is a terrorist organization and an enemy of the United States, and I urge Pakistan to redouble its efforts—working with U.S. and Afghan partners—to eliminate the Haqqani threat.”

Senator Feinstein in July 2012 introduced legislation instructing the Secretary of State to designate the Haqqani Network as a foreign terrorist organization and in May 2012 wrote Secretary Clinton a letter urging for the designation.

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