WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Washington has designated the Pakistani Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization for its close ties to al-Qaida, the U.S. State Department said.
The U.S. Statement Department announced that it designated the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, along with its top leaders Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali Ur Rehman, as terrorist entities.
Daniel Benjamin, the coordinator for counter-terrorism at the State Department, said the Pakistani Taliban, known by its acronym TTP, is "very much" part of the broad terrorist threat confronting the United States.
"The TTP and al-Qaida have a symbiotic relationship," he said in a statement. "TTP draws ideological guidance from al-Qaida while al-Qaida relies on the TTP for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border."
Benjamin added that the close working relationship between the two groups made the group a "force multiplier" for al-Qaida.
Washington accuses the Pakistani Taliban of a number attacks targeting U.S. interests. The group is also blamed for playing a role in the 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The FTO designation comes as Washington offers a $5 million reward for information on the location of Mehsud and Rehman.
"These designations are part of our multi-pronged approach to disrupt and dismantle TTP," added Benjamin. "These actions will help stem the flow of finances to the TTP and provide the Department of Justice with a critical tool to prosecute those who knowingly provide material support to the TTP and its senior leaders."
