New York Times Is Slammed For Publishing Taliban Leader Op-Ed

Taliban deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani penned an opinion piece for The New York Times.

Peter Bergen, CNN: What the New York Times didn't tell readers about its Taliban op-ed is shocking

(CNN) On Thursday, the New York Times published an op-ed by Sirajuddin Haqqani under the headline, "What We, the Taliban, Want." In his op-ed, Haqqani wrote, "I am convinced that the killing and the maiming must stop."

The Times described Haqqani as "the deputy leader of the Taliban." But this bland descriptor doesn't capture who Haqqani really is. According to the FBI, Haqqani is a "specially designated global terrorist." The FBI is offering $5 million for information leading directly to his arrest.

The US State Department is also offering a reward of up to $10 million for information that brings Haqqani to justice. The only terrorist who has a higher reward is the current leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Will the Times be offering Zawahiri an op-ed spot next?

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Previous Post: Deputy Leader Of The Taliban Says He Is Committed To Peace (February 20, 2020).

Update #1: New York Times gets criticized for publishing an op-ed written by Taliban leader (Business Insider)
Update #2: New York Times slammed for Taliban leader op-ed: 'Feels like a leaflet flyover' (FOX News).

WNU Editor: The above post by CNN's Peter Bergen is spot on.

Taliban Have Announced That The Founder Of The Haqqani Network Has Died In Afghanistan

The Guardian: Leader of militant Haqqani network in Afghanistan has died, say Taliban

Jalaluddin Haqqani died ‘after a long sickness’, the insurgent group says

The Taliban have announced the death of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the leader of Afghanistan’s Haqqani militant group – one of the most powerful and feared affiliates of the insurgency.

The Taliban said he died after “a long struggle with a disease”, according to the monitoring group Site.

According to the statement, Haqqani has been buried in Afghanistan.

Haqqani originally founded the group to fight Soviet occupation in the 1970s, and was once funded by the CIA and lionised by some in the US.

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WNU Editor: He was a nasty piece of work whose network has brought untold suffering to millions of Afghans.

More News On The Taliban's Announcement That The Founder Of The Haqqani Network Has Died In Afghanistan

Taliban say founder of Haqqani network dies in Afghanistan -- CTV News/AP
Afghan Taliban Announces Death Of Haqqani Network Founder -- NDTV/AFP
Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of Afghan militant network, dies -- BBC
Taliban: Haqqani network leader dead -- DW
Taliban says founder of militant Afghan Haqqani network dies -- Reuters
Jalaluddin Haqqani death: Founder of most-feared Afghan militant network is dead, Taliban says -- The Independent
Jalaluddin Haqqani death: Who was the Taliban-affiliated militant leader? -- Al Arabiya
Who are the Haqqanis, Afghanistan's most feared insurgents? -- AFP

Is This The Next Leader For The Afghan Taliban?

Newsweek/Reuters: 'Ruthless' Warlord Could Be Taliban's Next Leader

Afghan guerrilla commander Sirajuddin Haqqani, a possible successor to Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, would likely prove an even more implacable foe of beleaguered Afghan government forces and their U.S. allies.

The United States killed Mansour in an air strike in a remote border area just inside Pakistan, the Afghanistan government said on Sunday, in an attack likely to dash any immediate prospect for peace talks. The U.S. has not confirmed Mansour's death.

Haqqani, who has a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head, is widely seen by U.S. and Afghan officials as the most dangerous warlord in the Taliban insurgency, responsible for the most bloody attacks, including one last month in Kabul in which 64 people were killed.

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WNU Editor: It is telling that they do not even have a good photograph of this Taliban commander.

More News On Afghan Guerilla Commander Sirajuddin Haqqani And The Haqqani Network

Who Will Lead the Taliban Now? -- VOA
Taliban being steered by the Haqqanis? -- Mujib Mashal, The Hindu
Afghan Officials: Haqqani Network Controls Taliban Command -- VOA
ISI made Haqqani Taliban's No. 2 to protect him from US: Report -- Economic Times
Sirajuddin Haqqani may be even more deadly foe than Mansour -- Express Tribune

Pakistan Denies U.S. And Afghan Claims That The Haqqani Network Is Using Its Territory To Launch Attacks

Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz (R) shakes hands with German Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) in Islamabad on August 31. PHOTO: PID

Wall Street Journal: Pakistan Denies Haqqani Insurgents Use Its Territory as Base

Pakistan responds to comments by U.S. national security adviser.

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan on Monday denied that a key Afghan insurgent group was using it as a base, responding to statements by the U.S. national security adviser about the group’s links to Pakistan during a weekend visit to Islamabad.

Washington and Kabul believe the group, called the Haqqani network, is based in Pakistan and is behind a series of bombings in the Afghan capital in August. U.S. security officials also believe the group is responsible for many of the most deadly and complex attacks in Afghanistan over the past decade.

On Sunday, on a trip to Islamabad, Susan Rice, the U.S. national security adviser, told Pakistani civilian and military leaders that the operations of the Haqqani network in Pakistan were “absolutely unacceptable,” according to a senior U.S. official.

WNU Editor: The organization has probably declined since the death of its founder .... Haqqani terror network founder may have died a year ago (CNN) .... but I suspect that the Afghans and U.S. intelligence are probably right that what remains is still dangerous and lethal.

More News On Pakistan Denying U.S. And Afghan Claims That The Haqqani Network Is Using Pakistan To Launch Attacks

Pakistani official says Haqqani militants weakened, despite US concern -- Reuters
Pakistan insists Haqqani network almost wiped out -- AFP
Pakistan rejects US claim on Haqqani Network -- Business Standard
Haqqani Network Wiped Out, Pakistan Assures Germany -- NDTV
Haqqani network disrupted due to military ops: Pakistan -- Zee News

Pakistan Finally Bans The Haqqani Terror Network

Reuters: Pakistan bans Haqqani network after security talks with Kerry

Update: U.S. Welcomes Pakistani Decision To Ban Haqqani Network -- Radio Free Europe

WNU Editor: This "ban" is long overdue .... we now have to wait and see if Pakistan will enforce it.

Update #2: Oh oh .... this does not look positive .... Analysis: Reported ban of Haqqani Network unlikely to end Pakistan's support of group (Long War Journal).

U.S. Intensifies It's Campaign Against The Taliban-Linked Haqqani Network

A U.S. Marine performs battlefield movements during a live-fire exercise at Arta Range, Djibouti, Feb. 18, 2014. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Staci Miller

Eyeing Afghan Exit, U.S. Intensifies Campaign Against Haqqani Militants -- Reuters

KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has intensified its drive against the Taliban-linked Haqqani network in an attempt to deal a lasting blow to the militants in Afghanistan before foreign combat forces depart this year, according to multiple U.S. officials.

The effort is taking on added urgency as the clock ticks down on a NATO combat mission in Afghanistan set to end in December, and as questions persist about whether Pakistan will take action against a group some U.S. officials believe is quietly supported by Pakistani intelligence.

The Obama administration has created a special new unit based in Kabul to coordinate efforts against the militant group, according to officials familiar with the matter. It was set up late last year, as part of a new strategy that involves multiple government agencies.

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My Comment: This focus on the Haqqani network is long overdue .... they should have done this years ago.

Why Is The U.S. Not Seizing The Funds From Groups That Support The Taliban And Al Qaeda In Afghanistan And Pakistan

Exclusive: U.S. Won’t Seize Taliban Ally’s Cash -- Eli Lake, Daily Beast

The White House designated a Taliban ally as a terrorist organization in 2012. Seventeen months later, though, none of the network’s assets have been frozen or blocked.

In the last 17 months since the U.S. government financially blacklisted the Haqqani Network, one of the deadliest insurgent groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, not a single dollar associated with the group has been blocked or frozen, according to U.S. officials and one of the Congressman who oversees the Treasury Department’s financial war on terrorism.

But it’s not just the Haqqanis—an ally today in the Taliban’s fight against U.S. troops and the Afghan government—who seem to have been spared from America’s economic attacks. According to a Treasury Department letter written in late November, not a single dollar been seized from the Pakistani Taliban, either, at least for 2012.

The reason why, according to a leading Congressman, is that enforcing such sanctions might upset delicate negotiations between America, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Taliban, and other insurgent groups. “The Haqqani network is associated with the Taliban. My opinion is that this is appeasing the Taliban. Because if we go after the Haqqani network’s money, then the Taliban will walk away from these talks,” Rep. Ted Poe, a Republican chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees the fight against terrorism, told The Daily Beast.

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My Comment: Money is the "mother's milk" for terror groups .... if they have no money (or very little of it) the scope and size of their military operations becomes severely limited. The Haqqani Network, their affiliates, and other insurgent groups are sworn enemies against the U.S. and it's allies .... their money should be seized and the financial tools that they use to maintain and keep themselves viable should be eliminated .... but for reasons that have never been properly explained (and diplomacy is not one of them) .... this is not happening.

Haqqani Terror Network Leader's Son And Chief Financier Assassinated In Pakistan

Jalaluddin Haqqani (right) is seen here as Taliban minister of tribal affairs in 2001

Chief Financier Of The Haqqani Network Shot And Killed By Unknown Gunmen -- Foreign Policy

Dr. Nasiruddin Haqqani, a son of Haqqani network founder Jalaludin Haqqani and the organization's chief financier, was shot and killed by unknown gunmen on Sunday in Islamabad (BBC, Dawn, ET, Pajhwok, RFE/RL). Nasiruddin was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in June 2010 as a "specifically designated global [terrorist]" for his role raising funds for the group, and the Haqqani network was branded as a terrorist organization in September 2012 (Reuters). According to news reports, Haqqani's body will be taken to Miran Shah in North Waziristan on Monday for burial.

Haqqani's death comes as Pakistan implements a new legal framework designed to address its internal militant threat - a law "some are calling a local version of the USA Patriot Act" (Post). The Pakistani government says the law will improve its anti-terrorism efforts, which have been plagued by inefficiency and abuses, but human rights advocates have criticized the ordinance for being harsh and having ill-defined sections.

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More News On The Assassination Of Nasiruddin Haqqani

Senior Haqqani Network leader killed in Pakistan: report -- Long War Journal
Top Pakistani Militant Leader Is Killed, but Not by a Drone -- The Atlantic
Top Haqqani network commander killed in Pakistan -- AFP
Nasiruddin Haqqani: Senior militant 'shot dead' in Pakistan -- BBC
Haqqani Network Leader Gunned Down in Pakistan -- Wall Street Journal
Terror group founder's son killed in Pakistan -- CNN
Gunmen Kill Senior Haqqani Leader in Pakistan -- Voice of America

The Pakistan-Haqqani Alliance

Photo: Jalaluddin Haqqani. Reuters

Pakistan-Haqqani Ties Threaten To Thwart U.S. -- Ashish Kumar Sen, The Washington Times

Western officials and analysts say U.S. and U.N. pressure is failing to persuade Pakistan to cut its ties to a terrorist network whose attacks coalition forces fear could complicate the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

The Haqqani Network, based in Pakistan’s northwest region, receives financial and logistical support from Pakistan’s military and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, Western officials say.

“The support operation [in Pakistan] for the Haqqanis’ war-fighting is intact,” said a former Western official who spoke on background, citing security concerns.

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My Comment: Pakistan's refusal to cut it's ties with the Haqqani group is a guarantee that bloodshed and mayhem will continue in Afghanistan. This post is a must read for those who want to understand Pakistan's role in the war in Afghanistan, and what is it's relationship with the Haqqani network.

Haqqani Network Labeled As A Terror Group By The U.S. State Department

State Department Blacklists Militant Haqqani Network -- New York Times

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia — In a report to Congress on Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton formally designated the militant Haqqani network — responsible for some of the deadliest attacks against American troops in Afghanistan — as a terrorist organization, two days before a Congressional deadline.

Mrs. Clinton signed the order in Brunei before departing to Vladivostok for the annual Asia Pacific Economic Conference, and State Department officials began notifying senior lawmakers. She issued the report after a last round of internal debate that took place in Washington on Thursday hours before President Obama spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

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More News On The Haqqani Network Being Labeled As A Terror Group By The U.S. State Department

U.S. designates Haqqani network as a terrorist group -- Reuters
Haqqani network designated terrorist organization by U.S. -- Politico/AP
US designates Haqqani group as 'terrorists' -- Al Jazeera
US Designates Haqqani Network as Foreign Terror Organization -- Wall Street Journal
Washington blacklists Haqqani network -- New York Daily News
The Haqqani Network, a family and a terror group -- CNN

Is The Haqqani Network A Terrorist Group?

Mawlawi Jalaluddin Haqqani Leader

Haqqani Network Should Be Designated A Terrorist Group -- Washington Post editorial

TWICE IN the past year, the Pakistan-based Haqqani network has launched attacks against the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the nearby headquarters of the U.S.-led military coalition. It bombed India’s embassy and staged multiple assaults against hotels known for hosting U.S. nationals. It tried to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It has close ties with al-Qaeda. As recently as Saturday, it detonated a truck bombnear a bazaar outside a U.S. base, killing at least a dozen civilians and wounding scores more.

The Obama administration is nevertheless having trouble deciding whether the Haqqani group should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization under State Department guidelines, which would pave the way for tough financial sanctions. That an internal debate reportedly goes on just days before a congressionally mandated Sept. 9 deadline for a decision is another reflection of the incoherence of U.S. policy toward both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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My Comment: I agree. If it walks like a duck. Squawks like a duck. And acts like a duck. It's a duck. In regards to the Haqqani network .... their behavior and actions has always been that of a military organization that uses terror strikes to advance their political goals.

Is The Haqqani Network A Terrorist Group

Jalaluddin Haqqani, right, the Taliban's minister for tribal affairs, points to a map of Afghanistan during a visit to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Oct. 19, 2001, while his son Naziruddin looks on. With their wide-ranging influence, support from Pakistan, and propensity for destabilizing violence, the Haqqanis could by themselves scuttle American aims for a peaceful exit from Afghanistan. (Photo: Reuters)

Obama Administration Divided Over Designating Haqqani Network As Terrorist Group -- Washington Post

Just days before a congressional deadline, the Obama administration is deeply divided over whether to designate the Pakistan-based Haqqani network as a terrorist group, with some officials worried that doing so could complicate efforts to restart peace talks with the Taliban and undermine already-fraught relations with Pakistan.

Early this month, Congress gave Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton 30 days to determine whether the Haqqani group, considered the most lethal opponent of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, meets the criteria for designation — a foreign organization engaging in terrorist activity that threatens U.S. citizens or national security.

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My Comment: The White house may debate designating Haqqani network as terrorist group, but this is not stopping them from killing their commanders .... and in one case last week .... the son of the founder of the Haqqani network.

Top Commander Of The Haqqani Militant Network Killed In Airstrike

Mullah Dadullah, right, in September 2011. His death is expected to have an impact on the fighting in the Bajaur tribal agency. Reuters

Afghan Sources Confirm Badruddin Haqqani , Top Commander Of Militant Network, Killed In Airstrike -- NBC News

Afghanistan's intelligence agency says its operatives have confirmed that a top commander of Haqqani militants behind some of the biggest attacks on Western and Afghan government targets in Afghanistan has been killed.

Agency spokesman Shafiqullah Tahiri said Sunday that Badruddin Haqqani was killed in an airstrike in Pakistan, The Associated Press reported. He said the strike took place last week but did not give more details. He would not say whether the agency's sources have seen the body.

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More News On The Death Of Badruddin Haqqani

CIA drones kill warlord's family and Taliban chief -- The Guardian
Pakistani Taliban Commander Killed in Drone Strike in Afghanistan -- ABC News
Pakistani Militant Leader Dies in Airstrike, NATO Says -- New York Times
Senior Haqqani leader Badruddin Haqqani killed, says family -- Khaama Press
Afghans: Militant leader Badruddin Haqqani is dead -- USA Today/AP
Drone strike may have killed Haqqani network leader -- Reuters
Afghans: Sources confirm Badruddin Haqqani is dead -- The State
Taliban deny report of Haqqani commander's death -- FOX News/AP
Badruddin Haqqani 'is alive and healthy,' Taliban spokesman says -- Long War Journal

My Comment: The Taliban are saying that he is still alive, but Afghan intelligence sources and the Haqqani family themselves are saying that he is dead. I guess we will have to wait a few more weeks to find out if he is dead or alive.

Pressure Grows To Label The Haqqani Group A Terrorist Network

Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the Haqqani network, points to a map of Afghanistan during a visit to Islamabad. Reuters

Pressure Grows On White House To Label Haqqani Terrorists -- The Hill

The top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Intelligence panels on Friday formally demanded that the Obama administration “immediately” label the Pakistani-based Haqqani Network a terrorist organization.

The group has claimed responsibility for many attacks on NATO forces and the U.S. embassy in Kabul, but the administration has been reluctant to label them terrorists as it pursues negotiations with insurgents in Afghanistan.

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More News On US Lawmakers Wanting The State Department To Label The Haqqani Network As Terrorists

Lawmakers want Haqqani declared a terror group -- AP
Lawmakers want US to declare Haqqani a terror network -- AFP
US lawmakers want Pakistan's Haqqani Network to be dubbed terrorists -- New York Daily News
Terrorist Label Sought for Pakistan-Based Haqqani Network -- Bloomberg Businessweek

My Comment: This is long overdue.

U.S. Afghan Envoy Envoy Confirms Talks With The Haqqani Network

US Afghan Envoy Confirms Talking To Haqqani Insurgents -- M&C

Kabul - The US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan on Sunday confirmed a meeting with the Haqqani insurgent group, as signs of a dialogue between the United States and rebels continue to grow.

'We had one meeting with Haqqani network,' Marc Grossman told a news conference in Kabul.

His remarks come after US and the Taliban militants confirmed preliminary talks for opening an liaison office for the Taliban in the Qatari capital of Doha - increasing speculation of an end to the decade-long bloody insurgency in this war-torn country.

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My Comment: The Haqqani network is Afghanistan's most dangerous insurgent group. If these talks are true .... and it appears that they are .... signifies a significant step forward in the eventual US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Recruitment Video Of The Haqqani Network Within The Afghan Taliban

Manba al-Jihad, a media unit of the Haqqani Network within the Afghan Taliban, released a video of the fighters involved in the raid on the Inter-Continental Hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on June 28, 2011. Some scenes from video show the military training of Afghan Taliban fighters with firearms and camouflage.

My Comment: Who paid for (and provided) the uniforms (Pakistan military?). This troubling video shows a sophistication of the Haqqani network that has not been shown before .... especially since they have been responsible for hundreds of US/NATO/Afghan casualties in Afghanistan in recent years.

Another U.S. Drone Strike In Pakistan

US Predator Strike Kills Three Haqqani Network fighters In North Waziristan -- Long War Journal

US Predators killed three Haqqani Network fighters in North Waziristan who were loyal to a top leader killed in a similar strike two weeks ago.

The unmanned CIA-operated Predators, or the more deadly Reapers, fired a pair of missiles at a compound in the village of Darpakhel Sarai in the Miramshah area of North Waziristan, according to AFP.

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More News On US Drone Strike In Pakistan

US drones kill three Haqqani militants in Pakistan -- AFP
3 killed in suspected U.S. drone attack in Pakistan -- CNN
Suspected US drone-fired missiles kill 2 Haqqani militants in Pakistan, officials say -- Washington Post/AP

My Comment: As these drone strikes continue, the anger is building.

The Haqani Network Has Deep Ties To Pakistan's Military And Intelligence Community

The US has added a top commander of the Haqqani network to one its main terrorism blacklists. – Reuters Photo

For Pakistan, Deep Ties to Militant Network May Trump U.S. Pressure -- New York Times

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other senior administration officials visited Pakistan in October to demand that Pakistan’s spy agency either deliver the Haqqani network, a virulent part of the insurgency fighting American forces in Afghanistan, to the negotiating table or help fight them in their stronghold in Pakistan’s rugged tribal areas.

But there are any number of reasons why the Pakistanis may disappoint the Americans. Not least is that the Haqqani leadership — contrary to the American emphasis on drone strikes in the tribal areas — does not have to hide in Pakistan’s ungoverned fringes. So close are the Haqqanis’ ties to Pakistan’s military and intelligence service that one might just as well look for them around the capital, Islamabad, or in the closely guarded military quarters of Rawalpindi.

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More News On the Haqqani Network

US sanctions militant Haqqani network commander -- AFP
U.S. sanctions Haqqani network commander -- Washington Post
US Deems Haqqani Network Top Commander a Terrorist -- Voice of America
US hits Haqqani commander with terror sanctions -- Boston.com/AP
U.S. Blocks Assets Of Captured Haqqani Chief -- Radio Free Europe
US adds senior Haqqani Network leader to terrorist list -- Long War Journal

Haqqani Network Now Targeted By US Forces

Jalaluddin Haqqani (R), the Taliban's Minister for Tribal Affairs, points to a map of Afghanistan while his son Naziruddin (L) looks on, during a visit to Islamabad, Pakistan, in this October 19, 2001 file photo. – Reuters Photo

U.S. Pegs Haqqani As Most Lethal Foe -- Washington Times

Network operates in Afghan shadows.

The family criminal enterprise known as the Haqqani Network conducts terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan by keeping in constant phone contact with its suicide bombers before and during attacks.

This level of sophistication, coupled with hands-on terrorist operations, is one reason the U.S. now considers Haqqani its most lethal enhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifemy, even more so than al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The network is operating out of a safe haven across the border in the town of Miram Shah, Pakistan, with near impunity and little to fear from NATO troops or Islamabad.

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Haqqani Network Now Targeted By US Forces

US after Haqqani network -- Hindustan Times
Military operations weaken Haqqani network, analysts say -- Central Asia Online
Afghans, NATO launch 'new push against Haqqanis' -- Vancouver Sun/AFP
US forces 'massing on Afghanistan-Pakistan border' -- The Telegraph
Hunting for Haqqanis, US deploys troops along N Waziristan border -- Times of India

My Comment: Realizing that Pakistan will do nothing about the Haqqani network .... the US is now stepping up to diminish their influence.

A Militant Hit Squad Gone Rogue?

Jalaluddin Haqqani (R), the Taliban's Minister for Tribal Affairs, points to a map of Afghanistan during a visit to Islamabad, Pakistan while his son Naziruddin (L) looks on in this October 19, 2001 file photograph. REUTERS/Stringer/Files

Dreaded Militant Hit Squad Goes Rogue In Pakistan -- Yahoo News/Reuters

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A blindfolded man stands on explosives, trembling as he confesses to spying for the CIA in Pakistan. Armed men in black balaclavas slowly back away. Then he is blown up.

One of his executioners -- members of an elite militant hit squad -- zooms a camera in on his severed head and body parts for a video later distributed in street markets as a warning.

Al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban and the Haqqani network -- blamed for a September 13 attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul -- picked the most ruthless fighters from their ranks in 2009 to form the Khurasan unit, for a special mission.

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My Comment: The Khurasan unit is made up mostly of Arabs and Uzbeks .... operating in a region where they are the foreigners. I am sure this is not going over well with the locals, but it is illustrative on how concern militant groups like the Haqqani network are with spies and informers.