President Barack Obama's pick to lead the U.S. military command overseeing operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere said on Tuesday he wanted top leaders of two major insurgent groups designated as terrorists.
The Quetta Shura and the Haqqani network oppose U.S. forces in Afghanistan and officially blacklisting their leaders could trigger punitive measures, like freezing assets. Advocates say it would also send a strong message to Pakistan, under pressure to go after insurgents inside its borders.
'Both those groups have engaged in terrorism and I believe the leaders of both groups should be placed on the State Department list,' General James Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
By: Brant
Maybe this is a dumb question, but why do they need to be listed as terrorists before we can go after their assets? I thought this was a war?
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