US blacklists ‘force multiplier’ Pakistani Taliban

The United States also offered rewards of up to USD 5 million each for information leading to the location of Mehsud and another top TTP commander Wali-Ur-Rehman,who was once a foe of Mehsud and now is his deputy Emir.

The group he heads was officially designated a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation” by the State Department,paving the way for additional State and Treasury Department sanctions.

For months last year,Mehsud,now 31,was believed killed in a drone strike. He,however,made a dramatic re-appearance in a video footage on April 11 to threaten attacks on the US.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a note published in the federal register that Pakistani Taliban threatened US national security.

Under his leadership,the al-Qaeda linked TTP has carried out some of the most audacious bombing campaign to be labelled as Pakistan’s biggest terrorist group.

“The TTP is very much part of the most dangerous terrorist threat the United States faces. The TTP and al-Qaeda have a symbiotic relationship. TTP draws ideological guidance from al-Qaeda,while al-Qaeda relies on the TTP for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border,” said Ambassador-at-Large for Counter terrorism,Daniel Benjamin.

The two-count criminal complaint,filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on August 20 and unsealed today,charged Mehsud with conspiracy to murder US citizens abroad and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives) against US citizens abroad.

“Today’s charges underscore our continuing commitment to seek justice for Americans who are murdered or victimised by overseas terrorist attacks,” David Kris,Assistant Attorney General for National Security said.

Department of Justice made these announcements as the Secretary of State,Hillary Clinton,designated Pakistani Taliban a foreign terrorist organisation and its leaders Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-Ur-Rehman as a foreign terrorist.

If convicted of the charges unsealed today,Hakimullah Mehsud faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint,Mehsud,a resident of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) in Pakistan,the primary purpose of TTP is to force withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the Pakistan’s tribal region.

FATA is located along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. It aims to establish Sharia or Islamic law in the tribal territories. The affidavit alleges that the TTP has had alleged roles in,or claimed responsibility for,a number of acts of violence,including the December 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto,the September 2009 suicide attack on the Bannu,Pakistan police station,and numerous attacks on NATO supply lines throughout the FATA.

These attacks are often coordinated with other insurgents or terrorist groups,including the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

On December 30,2009,the affidavit alleges,Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi,also known as Abu Dujanah al-Khorasani (al-Balawi),a Jordanian physician,entered a US military base near the town of Khost,Afghanistan,for a pre-planned meeting.

Shortly after entering the base,al-Balawi detonated a suicide device concealed beneath his clothing,killing himself and seven US citizens. Six other US citizens were also injured,it said.

Soon after the attack,the affidavit alleges,the media arm of the TTP released a video depicting Hakimullah Mehsud and al-Balawi seated together,in which they explain in detail their motivation for launching a suicide attack against the Americans.