The United States formally designated the Pakistani Taliban as a terrorist organization on Wednesday, slapping sanctions and travel bans on its leadership, reported dpa.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a public notice that the group met the criteria to be listed as an international terrorist organization under US law.
The Pakistani Taliban has been blamed for the attempted May 1 bombing of Times Square in New York, and other attacks in Pakistan. The group is also known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.
Clinton made the determination on August 12 but it did not go into effect until its publication in the Federal Register Wednesday.
