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Rogers Praises Senate Passage of Bill Calling on the Obama Administration to Designate the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization

Rogers Praises Senate Passage of Bill Calling on the Obama Administration to Designate
the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization

  Chairman Rogers today praised Senate passage of the Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act, a bill originally proposed by U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and amended by the House two weeks ago.  The Senate passed the amended House version by unanimous consent.  The bill, now on its way to the President, expresses the view of Congress that the Haqqani network should be designated as a terrorist organization.  

"This is a significant development, the House and the Senate have now spoken unanimously that the President should designate the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.  The Haqqanis are engaged in a reign of terror in Afghanistan and the network poses the single largest threat for IED's our soldiers face in that country.  They actively plot and kill U.S. and allied soldiers and routinely harm innocent Afghan civilian men, women and children in their path.  To better protect the lives of US soldiers, now is the time for action, not simply paperwork and talk.  I applaud the Senate passage of this important bill, and I urge the President to sign in quickly into law,” Rogers said.

Chairman Rogers has been at the forefront of Congressional efforts to designate the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.  The Haqqani Network is responsible for killing and injuring hundreds of U.S. servicemen and women in Afghanistan. 

On May 11, 2012, Chairman Mike Rogers, Ranking Member C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and their Senate counterparts, Chairman Dianne Feinstein and Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss, called on the Obama Administration to designate the Haqqani Network as an FTO.  And on June 27th, Chairman Rogers, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon introduced legislation to express the sense of Congress that the Haqqani Network be designated.  Language from the Rogers/Ros-Lehtinen/McKeon bill was included in the bill that passed the House on July 17, 2012.

An official FTO designation is a critical step allowing the United States to more aggressively undermine the network's support.  Specifically, an FTO designation permits the United States to freeze the Network’s assets, keep those affiliated with the group from coming to the United States, and prosecute those individuals aiding or assisting the Network with the crime of providing material support to terrorism.

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