Explained: What Is Haqqani Network, Its Relation With Taliban, Why US Sees Them As Two Entities

On Friday, the US State Department said that the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network, a Pakistan-backed banned terror outfit as two separate entities.

During a press briefing, when US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said "The Taliban and Haqqani Network are two separate entities," when asked about sharing information regarding the security of Kabul airport with the Taliban and whether it was extended to Haqqani Network.

This is despite the fact that the ties between the Haqqani Network and the Afghan Taliban are well documented.

What is Haqqani Network?

The Haqqani Network was founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, an ethnic Pashtun former Mujahideen commander who was trained and funded by the CIA in the 1980s to fight against the Soviet Union.

In the 90s after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, he joined hands with them and even served as the Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs in one of the provincial governments.

Reuters

In the early 2000s, Haqqani rose through the ranks of the Taliban and was made a military commander. And during the US invasion of Afghanistan post the 9/11 attacks, Haqqani fought NATO and is believed that even helped Osama Bin Laden get away.

It is believed that during the peak of the US raids, Haqqani was hiding in North Waziristan in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan.

Following the death of Taliban chief Mullah Omar, who died in 2013, but the news was only revealed in 2015, and the power struggle that ensued, Haqqani became the king-maker of sorts and supported Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as the new leader while his son Sirajuddin was made the second-in-command.

Reuters

Sirajuddin has also worked closely with bin Laden's top lieutenant and al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan, according to files recovered in bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

Jalaluddin Haqqani died in 2018 due to prolonged illness.

Current status in Taliban

As of now, Sirajuddin Haqqani is the Deputy Amir of the Afghan Taliban and in rankings of the militia holds the third position after Hibatullah Akhundzada, who is considered as the Amir.

Reuters

There are lies, damned lies, and then there are recent @StateDeptSpox statements on Afghanistan! (If Taliban & Haqqani Network are separate, why is head of HQN the Deputy Amir of the Taliban?) https://t.co/3Lie6SOsRX

¡ª Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) August 27, 2021

His nephew, Khalil Haqqani, another man proscribed as a terrorist by the US 10 years ago, and has a $5 million bounty on his head showed up in Kabul last week as their new chief of security, brazenly armed with an American-made M4 rifle, with a protection squad dressed in American combat gear.

Khalil, along with his close aid, Anas Haqqani also met several former Afghan senior officials for talks about a more inclusive government that could gain international recognition.

Previously, Khalil was known as the Taliban emissary to Al Qaeda, and was involved in the international fundraising for the Taliban, from mostly middle-eastern countries.

He is also known to have close ties with the Pakistan Army and is a frequent visitor to its headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Ties with Pakistan

Haqqanis have always been viewed as a proxy of the ISI in Afghanistan to target foreign troops and interests. Jalaluddin himself had taken refuge in Pakistan to avoid being killed by the US troops.

One of his sons, Badruddin Haqqani who was an operational commander of the network was killed in a US drone strike in 2012 in North Waziristan, Pakistan.

Reuters

Another of Jalaluddin's sons, Nasiruddin Haqqani, an elusive figure who is said to have been photographed only ones was killed by unknown assailants in the outskirts of Islamabad in November 2013. Nasiruddin who was Jalaluddin's son from an Arab wife was said to be key financier of the network. and used to travel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates frequently for fundraising.

Haqqani's hate for India

Even after being intertwined with the Taliban, Haqqanis somewhat operated independently and was even considered rouge for the Taliban. Given their close ties with the Pakistan Army and the ISI, Haqqanis have regularly carried out their dirty jobs, targeting Indian interests in Afghanistan.

AFP

The Haqqanis have been blamed for a number of attacks targeting Indian interests in Afghanistan including the 2008 Indian embassy bombing in Kabul that killed 58 people and wounded 141.

The suicide bomb attack on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan¡¯s western city of Herat is also blamed on the Haqqanis.

Targetting religious minorities

In March 2020, a deadly blast ripped through the Gurdwara Har Rai Sahib in Kabul killing at least 25 devotees. Though the IS-K had claimed responsibility for the attack, several intelligence inputs suggested that Haqqanis were behind it.

AFP

Haqqani IS-K links

Amrullah Saleh, the former First Vice President of Afgahnistan, who is now the self-proclaimed 'caretaker' President of the country said that the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) has links with the Taliban and the Haqqani network, particularly the ones operating in Kabul.

AFP

Saleh had also hit out at the Taliban for denying links with the Islamic State terror group and said that it is similar to the denial of Pakistan on Quetta Shura.

"Every evidence we have in hand shows that IS-K cells have their roots in Talibs & Haqqani network particularly the ones operating in Kabul. Talibs denying links with ISIS is identical/similar to the denial of Pakistan on Quetta Shura. Talibs have learned very well from the master. #Kabul," Saleh said in a tweet.