Haqqani network
The Haqqani network is an independent insurgent group in Afghanistan and Pakistan that is closely allied with the Taliban.[1] Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani along with his son Sirajuddin Haqqani lead the Haqqani network. The network is thought to present one of the biggest threats to NATO and United States forces in Afghanistan. [2] Following Wikileaks July 2010 publication of 75,000 classified documents the public learned that Siraj Haqqani was in the tier one of the International Security Assistance Force's Joint Prioritized Effects List -- its "kill or capture" list.[3]
Contents
Background
Maulvi Haqqani rose to prominence and was recognized as a senior military leader, during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. He is thought to have even visited the White House during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.[4] Like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Haqqani was more successful than other resistance leaders at forging relationships with outsiders prepared to sponsor resistance to the Soviets, including the CIA, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, and wealthy private donors from the Persian Gulf. Haqqani wasn't affiliated with the Taliban until they captured Kabul and assumed de facto control of Afghanistan.[5] After the Taliban took de facto control of Afghanistan, Haqqani accepted a cabinet level appointment from the Taliban as Minister of Tribal Affairs. [6] As Jalaluddin has grown older his son Sirajuddin has taken over the responsibility of military operations. [2] It is reported that President Hamid Karzai believed it was possible that Haqqani could be tempted to abandon the Taliban, and had invited him to serve as Prime Minister.[2]
Activities
The leadership is believed to be based in Miranshah, North Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.[1] Haqqani is reported to run his own training camps, to recruit his own foreign fighters, and to seek out financial and logistic support on his own, from his old contacts.[2] The network is active in Afghanistan's southeastern areas of Paktia Province, Paktika Province, Khost Province, Logar Province, and Ghazni Province. The Haqqani network has pioneered the use of suicide attacks in Afghanistan, mostly using foreign bombers.[1] It makes money by extortion, kidnappings and other crime in eastern provinces of Afghanistan. According to a tribal elder in Paktia "Haqqani's people ask for money from contractors working on road construction. They are asking money or goods from shopkeepers, District elders and contractors are paying money to Afghan workers, but sometimes half of the money will go to Haqqani's people."[4] Haqqani's are thought to have about 4,000 to 12,000 Taliban under their command.[7]
Attacks
- January 14, 2008: 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack is thought to have been carried out by the network.[2]
- March, 2008: Kidnapping of British journalist Sean Langan was blamed on the network.[8]
- April 27, 2008: Assassination attempt on Hamid Karzai.[1]
- July 7, 2008: US intelligence blamed the network for 2008 Indian embassy bombing in Kabul.[9]
- November 10, 2008: The Kidnapping of David Rohde was blamed on Sirajuddin Haqqani.[10]
- December 30, 2009: Camp Chapman attack is thought to have been carried out by the network.[11]
- May 18, 2010: May 2010 Kabul bombing was allegedly carried out by the network.[12]
Links with Pakistan
The network maintains old links with Inter-Services Intelligence and Osama bin Laden and Pakistan's army has been reluctant to move against them.[2] In 2006 Jalaluddin was called a 'Pakistani asset' by a senior official of Inter-Services Intelligence.[13] Pakistan regards the Haqqani's as important force in protecting its interests in Afghanistan the event of American withdrawal from there and therefore have been unwilling to move against them.[13] The New York Times reported in June 2010 that Pakistan's Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and chief of ISI General Ahmad Shuja Pasha were in talks with Afghan president Hamid Karzai as they were convinced US could not succeed in Afghanistan.[14] They were trying to broker a power sharing deal between the Afghan government and the network after US forces withdraw from Afghanistan.[15] Reacting to this report both Obama and CIA director Leon Panetta responded with skepticism that such an effort could succeed.[16] The effort to mediate between Haqqani's and Afghan government was launched by Pakistan after intense pressure by US to take military action against the group in North Waziristan.[17] Hamid Karzai later denied meeting anyone from Haqqani network.[18] Subsequently Kayani also denied that took part in these talks.[19]
Efforts against the network
In July 2008 Jalaluddin's son Omar Haqqani was killed in a firefight with coalition forces in Paktia.[20] In September 2008 Daande Darpkhel airstrike drones fired 6 missiles at the home of the Haqqani's and a madrasah run by the network. However both Jalaluddin and Sirajuddin were not present though several family members were killed. [9] Among 23 people killed was one of Jalaluddin's two wives, sister, sister in law and 8 of his grandchildren.[21] In March 2009 US State Department announced a reward of $5 million for information leading to location arrest or conviction of Sirajuddin under the Rewards for Justice Program.[22] In May 2010 US senator and United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chair Dianne Feinstein wrote to United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her to add Haqqani network to U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.[23]
NATO forces reportedly killed a network leader, Fazil Subhan, plus an unknown number of Haqqani militiamen, in a raid in Khost in the second week of June 2010. Subhan reportedly helped facilitate the movement of Al-Qaeda fighters into Afghanistan.[24]
See also
- War in North-West Pakistan
- War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- International Security Assistance Force
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />External links
- Haqqani Network (GlobalSecurity.org)
- Q&A: Who are the Haqqanis? (Reuters)
- Rewards for Justice: Sirajuddin Haqqani
- Haqqani Network, The Institute for the Study of War.
Sirajuddin Haqqani is also associated with the foreign jihadists. Haqqani, known as 'Siraj,' is the son of the legendary Afghan mujahedeen leader Jalaluddin Haqqani. Together with the Taliban and Hekmatyar, the Haqqani clan of warlords are among the three greatest opponents of Western forces in Afghanistan. In the digital war logs, his name appeared in 'Tier 1' on a list of targets to be killed or taken captive, which qualified him as one of the Western alliance's most wanted terrorists.mirror
