The Haqqanis demand control over three of Afghanistan’s eastern provinces, which would make a stable government in Kabul impossible and provide a ready haven for other terrorist groups. The network’s alliance with Pakistan is a manifestation of Islamabad’s unacceptable ambition to establish suzerainty over Afghanistan. If there is to be a stable Afghan peace, and a Pakistan that can be an ally of the United States, the Haqqani network must be defeated and dismantled. Designation as a terrorist organization by the State Department would be one positive step in that direction.
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