Showing posts with label Haqqani-Network. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haqqani-Network. Show all posts

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Haqqani Network and Pakistan

General John Nicholson, the commander of Resolute Support in Afghanistan, said recently in a news conference that the Haqqani Network poses a significant threat to Coalition forces. In addition, he stated that Pakistan has not done enough to curtail the Haqqani Networks activities within Pakistan. Afghan authorities have accused Pakistan of providing covert support to the Haqqani Network. Read more in "Pakistan Not Doing Enough Against Haqqani Network, US General Says", Voice of America,September 24, 2016.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Pakistan Update

Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The U.S. Congress is currently in deliberations on the last installment of its annual $1 billion aid package to Pakistan as part of the Coalition Support Fund or CSF. The last payment of $300 million could be withheld because Pakistan is not doing enough to combat the Haqqani Network (or should we really say they are doing too much to support it?).  This past week National Security Advisor Susan Rice visited with Pakistan's civilian and military leadership in Islamabad and the issue of the Haqqani Network was at the top of her agenda. May believe that the Haqqani Network is an informal extension of the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Read more in "US, Afghanistan Still Doubt Pakistan's Commitment in Fight Against Militants", Voice of America, August 31, 2015.

Politics of Military Aid. Stephen Tankel examines the topic of aid to Pakistan. "Ending U.S. reimbursements to Pakistan's military is not as simple as it sounds. The way Washington handles this delicate issue could have a big impact on Pakistan's behavior as well as on militant groups with American blood on their hands". Read more in "Is the United States Cutting Pakistan Off? The Politics of Military Aid.", War on the Rocks, August 31, 2015.

Pakistan-Afghanistan Riff. Pakistan's foreign minister will be trying to repair the relationship between the two countries. It seems that Pakistan can't understand why Afghanistan is pissed (U.S. terminology; not Brit terminology) that the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI) is supporting the Haqqani Network (and other insurgent groups). Read more in "Senior Pakistani Official Looking to Restore Trust with Afghanistan", Gandhara Blog, September 3, 2015.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Haqqani Network Founder Dead

Not only are we observing the passing of Mullah Omar but now news reports say that the founder of the Haqqani Network has been dead for quite a while as well. Jalaluddin Haqqani had been seriously ill for years. Mr. Haqqani rose to command a group of the mujahedeen rebels who were fighting the Soviet occupation. He later allied his group with the Taliban when they took power in the 1990s. Over the past few years his son, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is believed to be running the Haqqani Network. Read more in  "Founder of Haqqani Network Is Long Dead, Aide Says"The New York Times, July 31, 2015. Of course, the Taliban are denying the death report. (Threat Matrix - The Long War Journal, August 1, 2015).

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Taliban Accuse US of Haqqani Leadership Arrests

More details are emerging about the arrests of two leading members of the Haqqani Network who were detained in a Persian Gulf country and transferred to the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Afghanistan. The Taliban has released statements accusing the United States of being behind the apprehension of the two Taliban senior leaders. The Taliban believe that American forces in the Gulf region captured the two men and then handed them over to Kabul via the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Read more in "Taliban: US Behind Khost Haqqani Arrests", Voice of America, October 18, 2014.

Monday, October 20, 2014

More on the Detained Haqqani Network Leaders

There are new developments on the detention of the senior Haqqani Network leaders by the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Originally it was reported by the NDS that they were detained in Khost province; however, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the detention took place in a Persian Gulf nation and they were then flown to Afghanistan. It would appear that the support the Haqqani Network has received in the past by Gulf nations may be eroding ever so slightly. Read more in "Haqqani Leaders Detained in Persian Gulf not Inside Afghanistan", The Wall Street Journal, October 19, 2014.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

NDS Arrest two Haqqani Leaders

The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) has arrested two senior leaders of the Haqqani Network in eastern Khost province. This, if true, is likely a major blow to the Pakistan-based militant group. The Haqqani Group receives support, protection sanctuary, and operational assistance from the Pakistan intelligence service. Read more in "2 Haqqani leaders arrested by Afghan intelligence", Stars and Stripes, October 16, 2014.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

U.S. Continues to Target Haqqani Network

The Haqqani Network, supported by the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI, is receiving increased attention from the United States in the last year of its 'combat deployment' to Afghanistan. Read more in "Eyeing Afghan exit, U.S. intensifies campaign against Haqqani militants", Reuters, February 25, 2014.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

U.S. Won't Freeze Haqqani Cash Assets

A recent news report states that the U.S. has not frozen any of the Haqqani Network financial assets. This has prompted some criticism from members of Congress and other counter-terrorist experts. The U.S. has frozen the assets of some individual members designated as terrorists who belong to the Haqqani Network. Read more in "U.S. Won't Seize Taliban Ally's Cash", The Daily Beast, February 7, 2014.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Brookings Institution and General Allen Comments

General Allen, the commander of ISAF, recently spent some time with the Brookings Institution during his recent visit to Washington, DC. (He was addressing Congress for a couple of days on the state of the Afghan War). Some important comments that General Allen made during the Brookings Institution event include:

By September 2012 the U.S. troop level will return to pre-surge levels or around 68,000 personnel.

The main counterinsurgency effort will shift from the southern provinces to the eastern provinces.

The main threat in the east appears to be the Haqqani Network.

The 2012 Afghan-ISAF campaign for Regional Command East (RC East) will increase Afghan troop strength in provinces along the border, bolster the Afghan Local Police or ALP, Village Stability Operations (VSO) and special operations in the region. There will also be a greater density of U.S. forces partnering with their Afghan counterparts.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Publication - "The Haqqani Network" by Jeffrey Dressler (March 2012)

Jeffry Dressler, of The Institute for the Study of War, has wrote a new publication entitled "The Haqqani Network: A Strategic Threat" dated March 2012. It is in PDF format and can be accessed here. Jeffrey Dressler is a Senior Research Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War and has conducted extensive research on the Afghan War.

The Haqqani Network operates in southeastern Afghanistan. Over the past several years the Haqqani Network has increased its operational capability. It enjoys sanctuary across the border in Pakistan. It also benefits from significant support from the Pakistan military and intelligence organizations.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Haqqani Network Enjoys Pakistan Santuary According to Ambassador Crocker

The Haqqani Network is enjoying sanctuary in Pakistan according to the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan - Ryan C. Crocker.  Read more in "Secret U.S. cable warned about Pakistani havens", The Washington Post, February 24, 2012.