Taliban says US has lifted $10 million reward for information on deputy chief Haqqani

The Taliban says the United States has removed a $10-million bounty on Sirajuddin Haqqani, the group's deputy chief and interior minister.

According to Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s interior ministry, the reward, previously offered under the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program, was withdrawn, effectively delisting Haqqani as a wanted figure.

However, as of Saturday, the FBI's website still displayed the bounty, saying Haqqani was “believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan.”

There has been no immediate response from the State Department regarding the reported decision.

Haqqani also heads the Haqqani network, a powerful group in the Taliban that is known for its armed operations.

The network, founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, Sirajuddin’s father, in the 1970s, gained prominence during the Soviet-Afghan war, receiving support from the US and Pakistan. Over the years, it evolved into one of the most formidable armed groups.

Washington has blamed the network for some of the deadliest attacks against US-led forces in Afghanistan before the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.

Considered to be responsible for high-profile attacks, including suicide bombings and assassinations, the group was designated a terrorist organization by the US in 2012, and its leadership has been subject to sanctions by Western governments.

Since its integration into the Taliban’s ruling structure following the latter’s return to power, the network has become known as a distinct and powerful faction within the Taliban, with significant influence over military and security affairs in Afghanistan.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, himself, has long been a contentious figure in the US-Taliban relations.

Despite his previous designation as a “global terrorist” by the US, Haqqani has held a key position in the Taliban’s administration, where he has been tasked with overseeing Afghanistan’s internal security.

His presence in the administration has been a point of friction between the Taliban and Western governments, which continue to impose sanctions and refuse to formally recognize the group’s rule.

The alleged removal of the bounty comes amid broader efforts by the Taliban to gain legitimacy on the international stage, as they push for diplomatic engagement, release of the Afghan Central Bank’s assets that have been frozen by Washington, and alleviation of travel bans on their officials.

The group’s comeback took place amid a messy withdrawal by the US, which has been widely criticized as chaotic, leaving behind billions of dollars in military equipment and thousands of Afghans, who had assisted American forces.

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According to a report published in Wall Street Journal, undercover Taliban agents – clean-shaven, wearing jeans and sporting sunglasses – spent years infiltrating Afghan government ministries, universities, businesses and aid organizations.

The Taliban's swift takeover of Kabul, just days before the US completed its withdrawal, further exposed the failures of Washington’s 20-year military invasion of the country that it resorted to under the pretext of securing Afghanistan and preempting, what American officials would call, the potential of attacks against American interests.

The $3-trillion invasion deposed the Taliban, but the group would still maintain substantial presence in Afghanistan and take on the American troops and the Afghan government before gradually expanding its turf.

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Washington’s deal with the Taliban and the subsequent botched exit of US troops from Afghanistan was “the single most important factor” in the rapid collapse of the war-ravaged country

Following the 2021 withdrawal, a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) detailed systemic failures in the US policy, citing corruption, unrealistic goals, and a lack of coordination between American agencies as key factors in the collapse of the Afghan government.

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