After Taliban takeover, terror outfit Haqqani network gains ground in Afghanistan: Report
Afghanistan's most feared terror group, the Haqqani network, seems to be rising again after the Taliban's takeover of the war-torn country.
- World News
- 2 min read
The Haqqani network, one of the most radical branches of Islamic terrorism, seems to be gaining its ground once again following the Taliban's hostile takeover of Afghanistan earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported. The network is closely associated with Al-Qaeda and is involved in the hostage-taking of Westerners, and currently holds at least one American citizen captive, according to US officials. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Lt. General Michael K. Nagata, a former director of strategy for the National Counterterrorism Center, said, "I do not believe that anyone in the West fully understands the reach of the Haqqani network." He further added that it is the single most 'impressive' non-state terrorist group he has ever known, with the exception of ISIS in the first two years of the caliphate.
'Taliban's top leaders in talks with Haqqani group'
Despite a USD 5 million US bounty on his head, Khalil Haqqani, brother of the group's founder, addressed supporters in public at Kabul's Pol-e Khishti Mosque last week, The Wall Street Journal reported. The report also stated that some of the Taliban's top leaders and several former Afghan senior officials held talks with Khalil, along with his close aid, Anas Haqqani in an attempt to have a more inclusive government that could gain international recognition. The files recovered in Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan suggest that the group's de facto leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani worked closely with the former's top lieutenant and al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan.
Haqqani network accused of carrying out terror activities in Afghanistan
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, H.R. McMaster, a national-security adviser in the Trump administration and former deputy commander for US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan said that the Haqqanis expose the lie that there is a line between Taliban and other jihadist groups, especially al Qaeda. Haqqani network has often been accused by Afghan officials of facilitating deadly attacks on civilians by providing the Islamic State's local affiliate with technical assistance and access to criminal networks in Kabul, The Wall Street Journal said. Meanwhile, Amrullah Saleh, the self-proclaimed 'caretaker' President of Afghanistan, also said that the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) has links with the Taliban and the Haqqani network.