Haqqani top commander’s death major blow to Taliban

KABUL, Nov 06 (NNI): The U.S. military in its latest drone strike against terrorist groups killed Abdullah Haqqani, a top commander of the riotous Haqqani network, in Pakistan’s lawless south Waziristan area, along the border with Afghanistan in late October.

The junior but commanding figure within Taliban militants, Abdullah Haqqani, had been reportedly killed along with six other insurgents in an aerial strike last Thursday.

Afghan political analysts are of the view that the elimination of Abdullah Haqqani could be a major setback to the Taliban militants, especially the lawless Haqqani network.

“The murder of Abdullah Haqqani is a fatal strike to the body of the Haqqani network but is not enough to curb militancy,” Ahmad Sayedi, a former diplomat and political expert, told local media recently.

The killing of Abdullah Haqqani is the second setback to the Taliban outfit over the past month.

In previous operations against militants, two more Taliban senior commanders, including Abdullah Haqqani’s elder brother Anas Haqqani, were arrested in mid-October.

Taliban militants have confirmed the arrest of Anas Haqqani and Hafiz Rashid, allegedly the organizers and financiers of suicide attacks in Afghanistan. However, the Taliban has yet to make a comment on the death of Abdullah Haqqani.

Abdullah Haqqani is the youngest son of Mawlawi Jalaludin Haqqani, a former ally of the U.S. during the Afghan war against the former Soviet Union in 1979-89, Xinhua news agency reported.

The aged Haqqani, who had reportedly received the lion’s share of aid from the United States and allied nations during the Afghan war against the former Soviet Union and earned popularity, joined the Taliban rule and served as a cabinet minister until the collapse of the regime in late 2001 by the U.S.-led military invasion. He had been fighting the Afghan government for more than a decade.

Operating in Kabul, as well as east and southern region of Afghanistan, the Haqqani network, a subgroup of the Taliban outfit loyal to the elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, has organized hundreds of deadly attacks, mostly suicide bombings against Afghan and the NATO-led troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Abdullah Haqqani, like his arrested brother Anas Haqqani, had also plotted suicide attacks in Afghanistan, which often claimed the lives of civilians.

Afghan political observers believe that mounting pressure on the Haqqani network and targeting its senior leaders could help Afghanistan achieve peace.

“No doubt, the murder of Abdullah Haqqani is a major blow to the Taliban militants but not the solution,” political-military analyst Atiqullah Omarkhil told local media. NNI