The United States has designated the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, linked to the botched Times Square bombing attempt by a Pakistani American, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday also designated two senior TTP leaders Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali Ur Rehman as specially designated global terrorists as the US imposed financial and travel sanctions on the Pakistan based group that trained Times Square suspect Faisal Shahzad.