ISLAMABAD – The arrest of Nasiruddin Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the most influential militant commander and head of insurgent group, the Haqqani network, is being dubbed as the deadliest blow to the Taliban by the diplomatic circles.
“The Afghan and coalition forces are very happy over the development as Nasiruddin Haqqani, also known as Dr Khan, is not only the son of the most influential Taliban commander but also one of the two or three main leaders of the most lethal militant organisation, the Haqqani network,” a western diplomat said.
He said if true, the arrest of the younger Haqqani was no doubt a deadliest blow to the insurgency in Afghanistan as he was the key player as far as the funding of the network was concerned, adding that Nasiruddin would travel frequently to Gulf states for that purpose.
The news of Nasiruddin’s detention was given by Kabul-based Afghan Online Press (AOP), which said the Afghan and coalition forces had detained him in Afghanistan. It said the arrested Taliban commander was operating in the Afghan district of Sabari, in Khost province and was responsible for several IED attacks on security forces in the province.
However, CNN gave a different account of the arrest by claiming that Nasiruddin was detained by Pakistani intelligence operatives while driving from Peshawar to North Waziristan. One of his companions arrested along him was identified as Mullah Muhammad Jan, another senior commander of the Haqqani network.
The Taliban, nonetheless, denied the report of arrest of younger Haqqani on both sides of the border. An unnamed Taliban leader told media organisations in Afghanistan that the report was baseless. A source close to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan told Pakistan Today that Nasiruddin was safe and sound, far away from the reach of NATO forces.
“And to say that Dr Khan is arrested from Pakistan is ridiculous as he is not in this country these days and such reports are meant only to create anxiety among the cadres of the Taliban,” the source said. He said the Haqqani network had proved to be the most dangerous enemy on the battlefield and having failed to defeat it there the American and Afghan authorities had now resorted to leaking baseless news to the media to lower the morale of the mujahideen, which was very high at present.
