S. 1959 

One Hundred Twelfth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twelve 

An Act 

To require a report on the designation of the Haqqani Network as a foreign terrorist 

organization and for other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Haqqani Network Terrorist 

Designation Act of 2012’’. 

SEC. 2. REPORT ON DESIGNATION OF THE HAQQANI NETWORK AS 

A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. 

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

(1) A report of the Congressional Research Service on relations between the United States and Pakistan states that ‘‘[t]he 

terrorist network led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son 

Sirajuddin, based in the FATA, is commonly identified as the 

most dangerous of Afghan insurgent groups battling U.S.-led 

forces in eastern Afghanistan’’. 

(2) The report further states that, in mid-2011, the 

Haqqanis undertook several high-visibility attacks in Afghanistan. First, a late June assault on the Intercontinental Hotel 

in Kabul by 8 Haqqani gunmen and suicide bombers left 18 

people dead. Then, on September 10, a truck bomb attack 

on a United States military base by Haqqani fighters in the 

Wardak province injured 77 United States troops and killed 

5 Afghans. A September 13 attack on the United States 

Embassy compound in Kabul involved an assault that sparked 

a 20-hour-long gun battle and left 16 Afghans dead, 5 police 

officers and at least 6 children among them. 

(3) The report further states that ‘‘U.S. and Afghan officials 

concluded the Embassy attackers were members of the Haqqani 

network’’. 

(4) In September 22, 2011, testimony before the Committee 

on Armed Services of the Senate, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs 

of Staff Admiral Mullen stated that ‘‘[t]he Haqqani network, 

for one, acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan’s Inter-Services 

Intelligence agency. With ISI support, Haqqani operatives plan 

and conducted that [September 13] truck bomb attack, as well 

as the assault on our embassy. We also have credible evidence 

they were behind the June 28th attack on the Intercontinental 

Hotel in Kabul and a host of other smaller but effective operations’’. 

(5) In October 27, 2011, testimony before the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, Secretary 
S. 1959—2 

of State Hillary Clinton stated that ‘‘we are taking action 

to target the Haqqani leadership on both sides of the border. 

We’re increasing international efforts to squeeze them operationally and financially. We are already working with the 

Pakistanis to target those who are behind a lot of the attacks 

against Afghans and Americans. And I made it very clear 

to the Pakistanis that the attack on our embassy was an 

outrage and the attack on our forward operating base that 

injured 77 of our soldiers was a similar outrage.’’. 

(6) At the same hearing, Secretary of State Clinton further 

stated that ‘‘I think everyone agrees that the Haqqani Network 

has safe havens inside Pakistan; that those safe havens give 

them a place to plan and direct operations that kill Afghans 

and Americans.’’. 

(7) On November 1, 2011, the United States Government 

added Haji Mali Kahn to a list of specially designated global 

terrorists under Executive Order 13224. The Department of 

State described Khan as ‘‘a Haqqani Network commander’’ 

who has ‘‘overseen hundreds of fighters, and has instructed 

his subordinates to conduct terrorist acts.’’ The designation 

continued, ‘‘Mali Khan has provided support and logistics to 

the Haqqani Network, and has been involved in the planning 

and execution of attacks in Afghanistan against civilians, coalition forces, and Afghan police’’. According to Jason Blazakis, 

the chief of the Terrorist Designations Unit of the Department 

of State, Khan also has links to al-Qaeda. 

(8) Five other top Haqqani Network leaders have been 

placed on the list of specially designated global terrorists under 

Executive Order 13224 since 2008, and three of them have 

been so placed in the last year. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the overall 

leader of the Haqqani Network as well as the leader of the 

Taliban’s Mira shah Regional Military Shura, was designated 

by the Secretary of State as a terrorist in March 2008, and 

in March 2009, the Secretary of State put out a bounty of 

$5,000,000 for information leading to his capture. The other 

four individuals so designated are Nasiruddin Haqqani, Khalil 

al Rahman Haqqani, Badruddin Haqqani, and Mullah Sangeen 

Zadran. 

(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that— 

(1) the Haqqani Network meets the criteria for designation 

as a foreign terrorist organization as set forth in section 219 

of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); and 

(2) the Secretary of State should so designate the Haqqani 

Network as a foreign terrorist organization under such section 

219. 

(c) REPORT.— 

(1) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 days after the 

date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 

submit to the appropriate committees of Congress— 

(A) a detailed report on whether the Haqqani Network 

meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist 

organization as set forth in section 219 of the Immigration 

and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); and 

(B) if the Secretary determines that the Haqqani Network does not meet the criteria set forth under such section 

219, a detailed justification as to which criteria have not 

been met. 
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(2) FORM.—The report required by paragraph (1) shall be 

submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified 

annex. 

(3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DEFINED.—In 

this subsection, the term ‘‘appropriate committees of Congress’’ 

means— 

(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 

on Foreign Relations, the Committee on the Judiciary, and 

the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and 

(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and 

the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 

House of Representatives. 

(d) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act may be construed to 

infringe upon the sovereignty of Pakistan to combat militant or 

terrorist groups operating inside the boundaries of Pakistan. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.