Afghan operation: ‘Haqqani commander captured’
Nato-led forces said on Saturday that they had captured the senior commander for the Haqqani network in Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan, during an operation in Eastern Paktia province earlier in the week.
Khan is “the uncle of Siraj and Badruddin Haqqani ... one of the highest ranking members of the Haqqani network and a revered elder of the Haqqani clan,” the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said in a statement.
Nato said Khan had managed bases and operations in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and moved forces across the border for attacks, as well as transferring funds and sourcing supplies.
The statement called him “the senior Haqqani commander in Afghanistan”.
Khan was captured on Tuesday in Jani Khel district of Paktia province along with his deputy and bodyguard, in an operation by Afghan and foreign forces, Nato said. He was heavily armed but “submitted ... without incident or resistance”, the force said. It did not detail how they had identified Khan. The Taliban, to whom the Haqqani network has pledged allegiance, denied that Khan had been captured.
“I have just spoken with Haji Mali Khan, he is fine and is somewhere else and hasn’t been detained,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters. “This is news is baseless and it has been released in order to weaken the morale of the Mujahideens,” he said.
Nato said this year they had arrested 1,300 suspected Haqqani insurgents and 300 insurgent leaders in 500 operations that aimed to disrupt the network. Around 20 “network facilitators” were killed, the statement added.
Khan had also established a militant camp in Paktia province in the past year, and reported directly to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of founding commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, Nato said.
Siraj is now believed to be in charge of day-to-day affairs of the Haqqani network because his father has health problems. Before fighting in Afghanistan, Nato said Khan had served as a Haqqani network envoy to Baitullah Mehsud, former leader of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistani (TTP).
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2011.
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Imran Khan will end the liberal Pakistani elites subservience to the US.
No need for such rats who have infested every part of Paistan.
Take out Haqqani and there will still be militants in Afghanistan. By the way, readers might want to see what Johan Galtung has been saying about US and reading his book about US.
Afghanistan blames Pakistan and Afghans are not Hindus or Jews. Iran blames Pakistan and they are neither Hindus nor Jews nor US agents. China blames Pakistan for the Ulghur terrorists and China too is neither Jewish, Hindu or American agents.
Thus even if you choose not to believe US, UK, India - the fact that so many people blame Pakistan for terror originating from its soil should make people introspect.
How can you consider yourself a sovereign state if supposed 'non-state' actors are constantly violating your sovereignty and using your soil to attack others?
@loud mouth: "- Does it mean that pakistan shall now be ready for more bloodshed by the hands of strategic asset"
Unfortunately, yes. Pakistani army's double-games will bite back and the now dumped Haqqani terrorists will join other "bad terrorists" and kill thousands of innocent Pakistanis. As they say, one always reaps what one sows.
@Observer "I think the Pakistani Army buckled down to US pressure and has agreed to discontinue its support for the Haqqani terror outfit." - Does it mean that pakistan shall now be ready for more bloodshed by the hands of strategic assets?
@Someone: "”Khan was captured close to Afghanistan’s porous border with Pakistan in Paktiya province Someone tell me, is Paktiya in Pakistan, France or Brazil? Or is it a place “supposed to be” right under the nose of NATO?"
Paktia is in afg for sure. But, what might have happened is that Pakistan might have captured him and taken him to Paktia to handover to Nato.
I think the Pakistani Army buckled down to US pressure and has agreed to discontinue its support for the Haqqani terror outfit. The fact that the US administration and Hillary Clinton toned down their hard lines in the past few days is because the Pakistani army finally saw "religion" with regard to the Haqqanis. All this big bluster coming from Islamabad and the APC is all just smoke and mirror to cover up the agreement to give up Haqqanis.
''Khan was captured close to Afghanistan’s porous border with Pakistan in Paktiya province
Someone tell me, is Paktiya in Pakistan, France or Brazil? Or is it a place "supposed to be" right under the nose of NATO?
@Babloo not all. after all Haqqani's are also required to play a role in letting ISAF (USA) go home and to play a role in next setup.
Admittedly, Haqqani’s are in North Waziristan, yet capture of Haji Mali from Paktia unambiguously demonstrates that so-called Haqqani network has strong bases and presence in Afghanistan which frustrated Mullen could not see and could not locate to handle. Not accepting their own failure and incompetence and entering into blame- game by Chief of USA forces is sheer degradation and does not suit to a super power.
Looks like all Haqannis will be rounded up.
Seems like all Senior Terrorists like to feed their youth to the fire of bloodshed, and when it comes to them they turn out to be rats. Name any senior terrorist that has resisted arrest. Disgustingly cowards!
Well done boys...keep it up...now eleminate him...just like OBL.
Then why the Mullen was messing up with the whole world?He captured from Afghanistan not from their (American's) Ally.