Who Is Jalaluddin Haqqani?
So maybe its just that these guys don’t have al-Qaeda’s publicist, but for some reason, the Haqqani network has only just been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department last week - and who’s heard of them?
Here’s some background on this deadly organization:
The Haqqani Network is an independent insurgent group originating in Afghanistan that is closely allied with the Taliban. Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani along with his son Sirajuddin Haqqani lead the Haqqani network, which is based in the Afghanistan–Pakistan border areas. According to US military commanders it is "the most resilient enemy network" and one of the biggest threats to NATO and United States forces in Afghanistan.
Haqqani is reported to run his own training camps, to recruit his own foreign fighters, and to seek out financial and logistic support on his own. The New York Times reported in September 2011 that the Haqqanis have set up a "mini-state" in Miranshah with courts, tax offices and madrassas (religious Islamic schools known for teaching radical Islamic rhetoric and even providing military training to would-be terrorists and suicide-bombers), and that the network runs a series of front companies selling automobiles and real estate. They also receive funds from extortion and smuggling operations throughout eastern Afghanistan. In an interview a former Haqqani commander called the extortion "the most important source of funding for the Haqqanis.
On September 22, Admiral Mike Mullen, the retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He described the Haqqani network -- now run by Jalaluddin's son Siraj -- as "a veritable arm" of Pakistan's intelligence service. He also accused Haqqani "insurgents" of collaborating with the ISI in scores of high-profile attacks against U.S. and NATO personnel -- including the bloody June 28 attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul and the September 13 assault on the U.S. embassy there.
And exactly how does the Haqqani network fund itself? Funding for paramilitary operations and IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) comes from (amongst other sources) Saudi Arabia, interest on "family" bank accounts in the United Arab Emirates and extortion ransom from kidnappings. A recent intelligence report describes how the Haqqanis "portray themselves as deeply religious while making a fortune from the sale and transportation of opium." The organization's success in "taxing" Afghan contractors paid with U.S. tax dollars is legendary.
Unfortunately, it could be that the Haqqani network will soon become as household a name as al-Qaeda if more is not done now to control them and ultimately eradicate this terror machine.
So maybe its just that these guys don’t have al-Qaeda’s publicist, but for some reason, the Haqqani network has only just been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department last week - and who’s heard of them?
Here’s some background on this deadly organization:
The Haqqani Network is an independent insurgent group originating in Afghanistan that is closely allied with the Taliban. Jalaluddin Haqqani along with his son Sirajuddin Haqqani lead the Haqqani network, which is based in the Afghanistan–Pakistan border areas. According to US military commanders it is "the most resilient enemy network" and one of the biggest threats to NATO and United States forces in Afghanistan.
Haqqani is reported to run his own training camps, to recruit his own foreign fighters, and to seek out financial and logistic support on his own. The New York Times reported in September 2011 that the Haqqanis have set up a "mini-state" in Miranshah with courts, tax offices and madrassas (religious Islamic schools known for teaching radical Islamic rhetoric and even providing military training to would-be terrorists and suicide-bombers), and that the network runs a series of front companies selling automobiles and real estate. They also receive funds from extortion and smuggling operations throughout eastern Afghanistan. In an interview a former Haqqani commander called the extortion "the most important source of funding for the Haqqanis.
On September 22, Admiral Mike Mullen, the retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He described the Haqqani network -- now run by Jalaluddin's son Siraj -- as "a veritable arm" of Pakistan's intelligence service. He also accused Haqqani "insurgents" of collaborating with the ISI in scores of high-profile attacks against U.S. and NATO personnel -- including the bloody June 28 attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul and the September 13 assault on the U.S. embassy there.
And exactly how does the Haqqani network fund itself? Funding for paramilitary operations and IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) comes from (amongst other sources) Saudi Arabia, interest on "family" bank accounts in the United Arab Emirates and extortion ransom from kidnappings. A recent intelligence report describes how the Haqqanis "portray themselves as deeply religious while making a fortune from the sale and transportation of opium." The organization's success in "taxing" Afghan contractors paid with U.S. tax dollars is legendary.
Unfortunately, it could be that the Haqqani network will soon become as household a name as al-Qaeda if more is not done now to control them and ultimately eradicate this terror machine.