Taliban's appointment of Haqqani as Afghan interior minister a 'tight slap' on US: Experts

Days after the Taliban announced its new caretaker government, a Washington based think tank has said that the appointment of Sirajuddin Haqqani as Interior Minister of Afghanistan is a ‘tight slap” on the US. Sirajuddin Haqqani is the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, who founded the infamous terrorist organisation- Haqqani Network. He is also a wanted criminal by the FBI with links to 9/11 and multiple cross border attacks in the US and Afghanistan. In addendum, the 48-year-old was also allegedly involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008.

In an op-ed published by Wall Street Journal, Seth G. Jones reckoned that with the appointment, the global terrorist has been uplifted to be equivalent to director of the FBI. Furthermore, he highlighted that the newly appointed Afghan minister had American blood on his hands and was a threat to US national security. Notably, Sirajuddin was enlisted by the FBI in January 2008 after it was proven that he was involved in an explosion that killed six people, including 1 US citizen in Kabul. 

“Haqqani was well known to the US military and intelligence community, he escaped several attempts to target him. He is a wily and dangerous enemy with American blood on his hands.”

Haqqani Network gains ground in Afghanistan 

The Haqqani network, one of the most radical branches of Islamic terrorism began to gain its ground after the Taliban's hostile takeover of Afghanistan last month. The network is often accused of facilitating deadly attacks on Afghan civilians by providing the ISIS-K with technical assistance and access to criminal networks in Kabul. FBI website also states that Haqqani is thought to be staying in Pakistan, specifically the Miram Shah, North Waziristan area, and maintains close ties to the Taliban and al Qaeda. 

The Taliban has announced the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on Tuesday evening. The new regime will be led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, the head of the Taliban's powerful decision-making body and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be his deputy. Haqqani's appointment as the acting Interior Minister of Afghanistan comes just days after the USA claimed that the “Taliban and Haqqani Network were separate entities”.

Image: AP/PTI