Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the Haqqani network, on Saturday said the group no more had sanctuaries in Pakistan, as they found it easier to operate in Afghanistan amongst the people.
The Haqqani Network, one of the most feared insurgent groups in Afghanistan, 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. “Gone are the days when we were hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Now we consider ourselves more secure in Afghanistan besides the Afghan people. Senior military and police officials are with us,” said Sirajuddin, believed to be in his late 30s.
“There are sincere people in the Afghan government who are loyal to the Taliban as they know our goal is the liberation of our homeland from the clutches of occupying forces.” He said the group would take part in peace talks with the Kabul government and the United States only if the Taliban do. 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 $5 million for him. The Haqqanis rejected several peace gestures from the United States and President Hamid Karzai’s government in the past because they were 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. Washington has repeatedly pressed Pakistan to go after the Haqqani network it believes is based in the unruly North Waziristan Agency near the Afghan border.
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta warned Pakistan on Wednesday the US would “do everything we can” to defend US forces from Pakistan-based militants staging attacks in Afghanistan. If it is confirmed that the Haqqanis have left North Waziristan, American pressure on Pakistan to eliminate the group may ease. Asked if the Haqqani network was behind the assault, Sirajuddin said, “For some reasons, I would not like to claim that fighters of our group had carried out the recent attack on US embassy and NATO headquarters. Our central leadership, particularly senior members of the Shura, suggested I should keep quiet in future if the US and its allies suffer in future.”