Blacklisted or Not, Haqqani's Finances Should Be Cut: Analyst

Blacklisting the Pakistan-based Haqqani network is a good idea to pressure their financial resources to stop funding them, Afghan military expert Noorulhaq Olomi told TOLOnews Wednesday.

He blamed Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for financially giving support to the Haqqani network and called for greater pressure on the spy agency to quit supporting the terrorist network.

"Blacklisting Haqqani is good, but their financial supporters which is ISI should be pressured because it is the main supporter of the Haqqani network," he told TOLOnews, adding that nothing would change until the root of the network is destroyed.

His statements came after US lawmakers look set to approve a move to designate the Haqqani network as one of the most dangerous terrorist networks in the world.

The designation would bring sanctions and criminal penalties for anyone giving material support to the group, including seizure of any assets in the US.

"The Haqqani network has killed many people; the network has all specifications of a terrorist network," US Senator and Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein said Tuesday.

According to reports, Feinstein has been writing to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for more than two years to urge the network be placed on the terrorist list.

US officials said that the reason the Haqqani network was not blacklisted in the past was that the US had believed it would renounce violence and join the peace process.