The Justice Department has charged the head of the Pakisani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, with plotting the attack that killed seven CIA employees in Afghanistan last December. The charges come just over eight months after the Obama administration claimed it was “about 90 percent certain” that Mehsud had died in a CIA drone strike. At the State Department, Coordinator for Counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin announced the Pakistani Taliban has been added to the US government list of designated foreign terrorist organizations.

Daniel Benjamin: “The TTP is very much part of the most dangerous terror threat that the United States faces. The TTP and Al Qaeda have a symbiotic relationship. TTP draws ideological guidance from Al Qaeda, while Al Qaeda relies on the TTP for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border. The mutual cooperation gives TTP access to both Al Qaeda’s global terrorist network and the operational experience of its members. Given the proximity of both groups and the nature of their relationship, TTP is a force multiplier for Al Qaeda.”