WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The commander of a Taliban ally in Pakistan said to have ties to al-Qaida was labeled a terrorist by the U.S. government, the State Department said Tuesday.
Bahawal Khan, leader of the Commander Nazir Group, a Taliban affiliate in Pakistan, was added to a list of specially designated global terrorists by the State Department.
"Khan and [his organization] have vowed to continue the group's activities, including supporting al-Qaida and conducting attacks in Afghanistan," the department said
The Long War Journal, an online forum tracking terrorism, said in a profile published Tuesday he has strong ties to al-Qaida, the Afghan Taliban and other terrorist groups operating in the area.
A weekend attack on the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, left at least eight people dead, most of them children. The European Union condemned the incident, saying attacks on diplomatic outposts "are unacceptable." No group took credit for the suicide bombing.
The U.S. government issued a global terrorism alert after it said it intercepted a message from al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri sent from Pakistan to his Yemeni counterparts. Interpol last week issued a global alert warning al-Qaida was tied to July prison breaks in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan.
CNN reported Tuesday at least 13 people were killed in an attack by unknown Pakistani militants in Baluchistan province. A similar attack targeted a train on its way to Karachi early this week.
