Context
The Obama administration on Tuesday declared a key militant leader in southeastern Afghanistan a terrorist, barring US nationals from making business deals with him and freezing any of his assets in America. According to the State Department, Mullah Sangeen Zadran is a commander of the Haqqani network and the shadow governor of the Afghan province of Paktika. The UN has also designated Zadran a terrorist, meaning he would be subject to asset freeze, arms embargo and international travel ban. The Haqqani network, which operates in the Pak-Afghan border area, has contacts with both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and is said to be a major threat to peace in Afghanistan.
