May 21, 2011: The U.S. has implemented travel and financial sanctions against another member of the Haqqani clan. Badruddin Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the terror group, has been added to the list of sanctioned individuals identified as international terrorists. Men on this list find it harder to travel internationally or conduct financial transactions via banks or other financial organizations. Badruddin has apparently taken over day-to-day control of the network, something his 61 year old father was getting too old for.

The Haqqanis have run a terrorist group since the 1980s. Three years ago, the Taliban patched up differences with Jalaluddin Haqqani. This guy had not been heard from for several years, since his dispute with Taliban leader Mullah Omar occurred.

Jalaluddin Haqqani led the Haqqani Network, a group of Islamic terrorists operating in the Pushtun tribal areas along the Afghan border. He was a major player during the 1980s battle with the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. He joined the Taliban in 1995, and became a senior official. But after 2001, he gradually grew apart from Taliban Mullah Omar. For a while Haqqani negotiated possible peace deals with the Afghan and Pakistani government, but these failed, and the Haqqani Network is now once more an ally of the Taliban. But, as the past has shown, the Haqqani will quickly change their allegiance when it suits their needs.

In the last three years, the Taliban apparently followed the advice of Jalaluddin Haqqani, and concentrated more on terror attacks, than in trying to control territory. This was a step back for the Taliban. But after several years of disastrous losses, the Taliban needed to come up with some new tactics, or face even more embarrassing defeats.