US Welcomes Pakistan’s Plan to Ban Haqqani Network

US has welcomed a reported step by Pakistan government to ban the Haqqani Network, blamed for attacks on American and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, media reported. “We welcome reports that the government of Pakistan plans to outlaw the Haqqani Network,” Xinhua quoted US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf as saying Friday. “It is an important step toward eliminating terrorist activity in Pakistan,” the official said.

The Haqqani Network is among 12 organisations on which the Pakistani government has decided to slap a ban, a Pakistan media report said Thursday. Washington had branded the Taliban-affiliated group as a foreign terrorist organisation in September 2012 and later pressed Islamabad to flush it out. US Secretary of State John Kerry earlier this week in Pakistan called for action against all militant groups including Afghan Taliban, Haqqani Network, and Lashkar-e-Taiba. (IANS)