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Name of Organization |
Haqqani Network |
Formation |
The Haqqani
Network is an insurgent group that was founded in the
mid-1970s, during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
|
Leadership |
Founder: Jalaludin Haqqani
Photo I –
Jalaludin Haqqani
Current head
of the Haqqani Network: Siraj Haqqani, son of the
founding leader. Siraj is also known as “Khalifa” and “Salahuddin”.
He deals mostly with non–military strategic issues. His
remit is political and includes negotiations with other
groups and authorities in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Operational
Commander: Badruddin Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani.
(Killed August 21, 2012)
Other notable members:
Sangeen Zadran
is one of the top commanders of the Haqqani Network.
·
Khalil
al-Rahman Haqqani is responsible for training of
combatants and for the fundraising in the Persian Gulf.
·
Nasiruddin
Haqqani is responsible for fundraising and gaining
logistical support from Taliban. |
School of thought/ Classification |
Nationalist
Islamist/
Sharia Law |
Ideology |
The Haqqani
Network’s goal is to take control of Afghanistan by
defeating the US and other foreign forces. They also
bolster the efforts and morale of global jihadists. |
Framework |
The Haqqani Network has their safe haven in the southern
part of the Federally Administered Tribal Area of
Pakistan and in the provinces Khost, Paktia, Paktika,
Logar, Wardak, Nangarhar, Kapisa and Laghman of
Afghanistan. They use their bases in Pakistan as
training areas for terrorist groups including;
Lashkar-i-Taiba,
the
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
and
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
They use the safe havens in Afghanistan to support
insurgent and terrorist operations throughout
Afghanistan. |
Financial resources
|
The Haqqani
Network’s funds come from a number of sources. It earns
its revenue from illegal enterprises such as the sale of
chromite and cross-border smuggling.
The Sirajuddin brothers are believed to travel to the
Persian Gulf to raise funds. They also raise funds
through the methods of collecting donations through
masjids, kidnapping-for-ransom and extortion.
|
Recruitment tools & demographics |
The Haqqani
Network gains support from the local populace by
offering them monetary compensation. |
Connections & linkages |
The
network falls under the umbrella of the widespread
Afghan Taliban and is closely tied to
Al-Qaeda. |
Areas of Operation |
The Haqqani
Network is operational in the FATA region of Pakistan
and in Afghanistan.
Its strategic headquarters are in North Waziristan,
Pakistan. |
Tools |
N/A |
Name Variations |
N/A |
Who they are
The Haqqani Network is
an insurgent group that has been using guerrilla warfare to
fight the US-led NATO forces and the government of Afghanistan.
It operates from its strategic havens in Afghanistan and
Pakistan. The Haqqani Network has been involved in various
high-profile attacks in Afghanistan including the attack on the
Kabul Serena Hotel in 2008
and the attack on the NATO convoy in Kabul in 2010.
A deadly attack in the Wardak province of Afghanistan in
September 2011 that killed 5 and wounded 94 people including
civilians, police officers and US soldiers was also carried out
by the Haqqani Network.
The Network was also involved in the attack on the US Embassy in
Kabul in 2011.
They were held responsible for the attacks on a hotel in Kabul
June 2012, which killed 20 people.
History
The Haqqani Network
(HQN) is relatively secretive, and is generally believed to be
included under the general umbrella of the ‘Afghan Taliban’
movement. The Haqqani Network has its earliest roots in the
mid-1970s, during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. They
became a strategic threat to the enduring stability of the
Afghan State and the US national security interests in the
region.
The Network was formed under the leadership of Jalaluddin
Haqqani,
a local warlord whose achievements as a military commander
during the Soviet invasion eventually gave the Network
popularity in the regions of Khost, Paktia and Paktika, and in
its base of operations in Miran Shah in North Waziristan.
Jalaluddin is an ethnic Pashtun belonging to the Zadran tribe.
In his initial years, he fought as a mujahid (Holy
Warrior) and allied himself with Hizb-e-Islami under the
tutelage of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
In the year 1979, Hizb-e-Islami split into two factions; one of
these came to be known as Hizb-e-Islami Khalis (HI-K) group, and
Jalaluddin served as its key commander in South Eastern
Afghanistan. In 1986, he left HI-K to form his own group. During
this time, he established linkages with al Qaeda’s Osama Bin
Laden, consolidating his ideology of anti-Soviet resistance. The
Network fought against Soviet troops in Afghanistan, and was
nurtured by funding and weapons from the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Saudi Arabia, and was given covert
training by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Shortly before the
Taliban consolidated power in Kabul, the Network aligned itself
with them in the mid-1990s. Jalaluddin served as a military
commander and ‘Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs’ under
Mullah Omar’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
According to some sources, Jalaluddin does not completely accept
the authority of the Taliban, but remains ‘an independent but
allied force’.
After the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, the Haqqani Network
retracted to their base in Miran Shah in North Waziristan, where
they ran a network of madarassas (religious seminaries).
Haqqani Network’s current leader is Jalaluddin’s son,
Sirajjuddin.
Organization’s Message
The Haqqani Network
seeks to eliminate the US forces and its allies from Afghanistan
and also opposes the Afghan government.
It seeks to do this via a ‘Jihadi-aligned resistance’.
Target Audience
The Haqqani Network targets young people from Federally
Administered Tribal Areas.
According to Gopal, Mahsud and Fishman, Haqqani Network’s
membership broadly consists of four types of members:
The first group consists of those individuals who had served
under Jalaluddin during the Soviet era. The second consists of
those belong to Khost, Paktia and Paktika provinces, and have
joined since the year 2001. The third consists of all those
individuals who have been affiliated with, or are from the
Haqqani-run madaris (seminaries). Lastly, the group also
recruits non-Pashtun foreign Arab, Chechen and Uzbek militants.
While a majority of the fighters in the Haqqani Network belong
to the Zadran tribe, it is still debatable whether HQN is a
tribal network or not. HQN’s middle-tier commanders are
responsible for recruiting the lower-tier fighting force, and
ensuring that they are indoctrinated with HQNs religious and
political ideology in their madaris.
Tools
Not available.
Splinter Groups
Not available.
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