Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities has for the primary time put out an image of its inside minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, who additionally occurs to be a UN-designated terrorist. The image tweeted by Zabihulla Mujahid, spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the elusive chief’s first picture in many years the place his face is clearly seen.
The image was tweeted on Saturday with the message: “The Minister of Interior of The Islamic Emirate, Khalifa Sahib Sirajuddin Haqqani Hafizullah inaugurated the graduation ceremony of the National Police.”
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Even the US, which had chased Haqqani for over a decade and a half, has solely a facet profile of the wished terrorist together with his face half-covered vertically in a scarf. India, which has accused him of masterminding a number of assaults on its belongings in Afghanistan, together with its embassy, has no frontal photos of his face both.
Interestingly, even after Haqqani grew to become part of the federal government in September 2021, the Taliban made each effort to maintain him off any publicity materials it launched. In a sequence of images launched following a Taliban assembly in October final 12 months on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Haqqani’s face was both seen hidden by bouquets or intentionally blurred.
Sources within the safety institution mentioned the change in Taliban’s place over Haqqani’s publicity to the general public could possibly be a part of its try at looking for legitimacy for him.
Sirajuddin Haqqani’s appointment as Afghanistan’s inside minister was seen as Pakistan cocking a snook on the world.
“Now that the government is a few months old and the world has begun engaging with it despite not recognizing it officially, the Taliban may be testing the waters with this one on Haqqani. Also, as they seek relief from across the world, they want to come forward and signal that the world can openly engage with them. It may also be a signal that they want to come out of the shadow of their handlers in Pakistan,” mentioned a former Research & Analysis Wing official who has watched Afghanistan intently.
Haqqani’s appointment as Afghanistan’s inside minister was seen as Pakistan cocking a snook on the world. Not solely had Pakistan managed to have its long-time strategic belongings in prime positions of the Taliban authorities, it had additionally nearly obtained the UN-designated terrorist, whom it had sheltered for many years, appointed because the No. 2.
The Taliban introduced their cupboard on September 7, 2021, three days after the chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt General Faiz Hameed, reached Kabul to resolve on authorities formation.
The Taliban group based mostly in Doha, which had been negotiating with the worldwide neighborhood and had established contacts with New Delhi, appeared to have been sidelined.
From New Delhi’s perspective, Sirajuddin Haqqani’s appointment as Afghanistan’s inside minister was essentially the most telling sign that the cupboard had been hand-picked by the ISI.
Son of the previous mujahideen fighter and CIA asset Jalaluddin Haqqani, whose loss of life was introduced in September 2018, Sirajuddin can be the top of the Haqqani Network, a sprawling Islamist terrorist mafia with shut ties to al-Qaeda, based mostly in Pakistan’s North Waziristan. He was liable for the terrorist assault on the Indian embassy in Kabul in 2008 that killed 58 folks, and assaults towards Indians and Indian pursuits in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010. He was designated a world terrorist by the UN manner again in 2007 and the US introduced a bounty of $10 million on him.
According to the FBI, Sirajuddin is needed within the US for questioning in reference to the January 2008 assault on a resort in Kabul that killed six folks together with an American citizen. “He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Haqqani was also allegedly involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008.”
As inside minister, Sirajuddin’s mandate contains not simply legislation and order, but additionally appointments of provincial governors, underneath the garb of “local governance”.
Sirajuddin can be the top of the Haqqani Network.
According to a 2010 report on the Haqqani Network by US-based suppose tank Institute for the Study of War, Sirajuddin’s mom is an Arab lady who was the second spouse of Jalaluddin. She is alleged to be residing in a Gulf nation.
The UN itemizing of Sirajuddin says he “participated in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of or in support of Taliban, al-Qaeda, and Jaish -i-Mohammed”.
It describes him as “one of the most prominent, influential, charismatic and experienced leaders within the Haqqani Network… and has been one of the major operational commanders of the network since 2004. After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Sirajuddin Haqqani took control of the Haqqani Network and has since then led the group into the forefront of insurgent activities in Afghanistan”.
According to the itemizing, he derived a lot of his energy and authority from his father, Jalaluddin Haqqani — who was additionally listed, and described as “a go-between for al-Qaeda and the Taliban on both sides of the Afghanistan/Pakistan border” .
Sirajuddin was concerned within the suicide bombing assault towards a police bus in Kabul on June 18, 2007, which killed 35 cops.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
