Nasiruddin’s death a big loss: Afghan Taliban

Unidentified gunmen shot Nasiruddin, eldest son of group’s founder,in a bakery in Bhara Kahu on Nov 10.

KABUL: The Afghan Taliban on Tuesday condemned the killing of senior Haqqani Network leader Nasiruddin Haqqani but said his death would not have any impact on the insurgency.

“We condemn the cowardly act of the defeated enemy and tell them that these kinds of terrorist actions will not have any negative impact on the current jihadi activities,” the Taliban said in a statement. “His death is a big loss for Islamic Emirate and all Afghanistan,” it said.

Unidentified gunmen shot down Nasiruddin, the eldest son of the group’s founder, as he bought bread at a bakery in Bhara Kahu on Sunday evening. Nasiruddin was the chief financier of the Haqqani militant network affiliated with the Afghan Taliban, which is the most feared group fighting US-led and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing, which came less than two weeks after a US drone strike killed TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud in North Waziristan Agency. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2013.