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Haqqani leader eyes peace talks
Source: Agencies |
September 18, 2011, Sunday
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THE Haqqani network, one of the most feared insurgent groups in Afghanistan, will take part in peace talks with the Kabul government and the United States if the Taliban does, its leader Sirajuddin Haqqani said yesterday.
The Haqqanis technically fall under the command of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, though US officials believe they can act independently.
The group has become so confident after battlefield gains, that it no longer has sanctuaries in Pakistan, and instead felt secure inside Afghanistan, said Sirajuddin in a rare interview, by telephone from an undisclosed location.
In what Sirajuddin described as a further sign of strength, the Haqqanis are consolidating their hold on eastern Afghanistan, forcing rival insurgent groups out of territory they have claimed.
The militant leader is described by US forces in Afghanistan as one of their most lethal enemies. The US has posted a bounty of up to US$5 million for him.
The Haqqanis rejected several peace gestures from the US and President Hamid Karzai's government in the past because they were in an attempt to "create divisions" between militant groups, he said.
Any further efforts to do so would fail, added Sirajuddin.
"They offered us very very important positions but we rejected and told them they would not succeed in their nefarious designs. They wanted to divide us," said Sirajuddin.
"We would support whatever solution our shura members suggest for the future of Afghanistan," he said, referring to the Afghan Taliban leadership.
Pakistani security analyst Ejaz Haider described Sirajuddin's comments as a shift.
The Haqqanis technically fall under the command of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, though US officials believe they can act independently.
The group has become so confident after battlefield gains, that it no longer has sanctuaries in Pakistan, and instead felt secure inside Afghanistan, said Sirajuddin in a rare interview, by telephone from an undisclosed location.
In what Sirajuddin described as a further sign of strength, the Haqqanis are consolidating their hold on eastern Afghanistan, forcing rival insurgent groups out of territory they have claimed.
The militant leader is described by US forces in Afghanistan as one of their most lethal enemies. The US has posted a bounty of up to US$5 million for him.
The Haqqanis rejected several peace gestures from the US and President Hamid Karzai's government in the past because they were in an attempt to "create divisions" between militant groups, he said.
Any further efforts to do so would fail, added Sirajuddin.
"They offered us very very important positions but we rejected and told them they would not succeed in their nefarious designs. They wanted to divide us," said Sirajuddin.
"We would support whatever solution our shura members suggest for the future of Afghanistan," he said, referring to the Afghan Taliban leadership.
Pakistani security analyst Ejaz Haider described Sirajuddin's comments as a shift.
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