Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has designated a man believed to be in charge of kidnappings for an al-Qaida affiliate as a global terrorist. The move freezes any U.S. assets belonging to Badruddin Haqqani and bars any people in the United States from dealing with him.

Haqqani's father Jalaluddin created what is known as the "Haqqani network," which operates out of the Federally Administered Tribal Area in North Waziristan. "The Haqqani Network has been at the forefront of insurgent activity in Afghanistan, responsible for many high-profile attacks," a State Department release said.

Badruddin Haqqani sits on a leadership board for the group and has acknowledged responsibility for kidnapping New York Times reporter David Rohde in 2009. Rohde escaped after seven months in captivity.

In addition, U.S. officials believe that the Haqqani network has been protected by elements within Pakistan's intelligence service. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there is "a longstanding relationship" between Pakistan's ISI and the Haqqani group.

Bloomberg reports that a similar designation of Badruddin Haqqani by the United Nations requires the international community to impose asset freezes and bar him from traveling.

The Treasury Department previously targeted Haqqani's father and brothers, in addition to group leaders and fundraisers with similar designations.