Haqqanis are the most feared Afghan insurgents
islamabad — The rescue of an abducted US-Canadian family in Pakistan last week has spotlighted their captors the Haqqani network, former CIA assets now considered one of the most dangerous factions fighting US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, who doubles as the Afghan Taleban’s deputy leader, the extremist group has been blamed for spectacular attacks across Afghanistan since after the US invasion.
The network was described by United States Admiral Mike Mullen in 2011 as a “veritable arm” of Pakistani intelligence.
“When you hear United States officials, including in private settings, talking about what worries them the most, they always talk about the Haqqanis,” said analyst Michael Kugelman, of the Wilson
When you hear Us officials, including in private settings, talking about what worries them the most, they always talk about the Haqqanis Michael Kugelman, A Washington-based analyst
Center in Washington. The group was founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, an Afghan mujahideen commander fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s with the help of the US and Pakistan.
Jalaluddin gained notoriety for his organisation and bravery, garnering attention from the CIA and a personal visit from United States congressman Charlie Wilson.
A fluent Arabic speaker, Jalaluddin also fostered close ties with militatns including Osama Bin Laden who flocked to the region during the war. Later, Jalaluddin became a minister in the Taleban regime. Now designated a terrorist group by the United States, the Haqqanis are known for their heavy use of suicide bombers.
They were blamed for the truck bomb deep in the heart of Kabul in May that killed around 150 people — though Sirajuddin later denied the accusation in a rare audio message.
The network has also been accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding kidnapped Westerners for ransom.
That includes recently released Canadian Joshua Boyle, his American wife Caitlan Coleman, and their three children — all born in captivity — as well as US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was released in 2014.
Following the United States invasion of Afghanistan, Taleban fighters flooded across the border into Pakistan, where they regrouped before launching an insurgency against the Americans.
That included the Haqqanis, who coordinated attacks on Nato from across the border in their stronghold of Miran Shah, the biggest town in North Waziristan, one of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous border tribal areas. The US has launched repeated drone attacks targeting the group — including one late on Monday — while Pakistan’s military has conducted successive clearing operations though sceptical Afghan officials have noted they always seemed to miss the Haqqanis. —