[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 195 (Saturday, December 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8781-S8782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HAQQANI NETWORK TERRORIST DESIGNATION ACT OF 2011

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration of S. 
1959 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1959) to require a report on the designation of 
     the Haqqani Network as a foreign terrorist organization and 
     for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I express my appreciation to everyone for 
removing their holds and allowing this matter to go forward. It is a 
very important statement that we make as Americans regarding our 
foreign policy.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Burr amendment at the 
desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and 
passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any 
statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 1467) was agreed to, as follows:

(Purpose: To provide that the Act may not be construed to infringe upon 
  the sovereignty of Pakistan to combat militant or terrorist groups 
              operating inside the boundaries of Pakistan)

       At the end, add the following:
       (c) 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.

  The bill (S. 1959), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 1959

       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 2011''.

     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 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) Report.--
       (1) Report required.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this

[[Page S8782]]

     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.
       (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, and the Select Committee on Intelligence 
     of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on 
     Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
       (c) 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.

                          ____________________