Washington: The United States has officially removed multi-million dollar bounties on three senior leaders of the Haqqani Network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting Interior Minister of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
This move is seen as a significant step, as the Haqqani Network has been accused of carrying out some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan during the U.S.-led war. These attacks included assaults on the U.S. and Indian embassies, NATO forces, and other high-profile targets.
Currently, the Haqqani Network plays a crucial role in the Taliban government, which came to power following the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement and the subsequent withdrawal of foreign forces in 2021.
The decision to remove the bounties comes shortly after negotiations between the Taliban and the U.S. over the release of an American citizen held by the Taliban since 2022.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed that "the bounties on Sirajuddin Haqqani, his brother Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani have been removed." However, the official added that these individuals and the Haqqani Network "remain designated as foreign terrorist organizations on the list of global terrorists."
The FBI’s website, which had previously displayed a $10 million reward for information leading to Sirajuddin Haqqani, has been updated, and the reward offer has been removed.
In response, Taliban government spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani said that the removal of the bounties was "the result of the Taliban government’s ongoing diplomatic efforts." He described it as "a positive step that signals a new phase of engagement between the Taliban and the U.S.," adding that U.S. officials had expressed a willingness to build trust and engage positively with the Taliban.
Last Saturday, a U.S. delegation, including hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler and former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, met with the Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and other Taliban officials in Kabul.
Following these discussions, American citizen George Glezman, who had been detained by the Taliban since December 2022, was released.
It remains unclear whether the removal of the bounties was directly linked to these negotiations.
The Haqqani Network was founded in the 1980s by Sirajuddin Haqqani’s father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, who was supported by the CIA during the Soviet-Afghan War. However, the group later became one of the most feared militant organizations opposing the West.
The Haqqani Network formally aligned with the Taliban in 1996 when the group first took power in Afghanistan. Jalaluddin Haqqani passed away in 2018 after a long illness.
Sirajuddin Haqqani has since emerged as a key figure in the Taliban government. Reports suggest tensions exist between him and Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, particularly over issues such as women’s education.
The Haqqani Network has recently sought to present itself as a more moderate faction within the Taliban, appealing to Afghans discontented with the hardline policies of the Taliban leadership.
