Taliban Confirms Death of Jalaluddin Haqqani

The Taliban has announced in a statement that Jalaluddin Haqqani, one of the founders of the Haqqani Network and a senior leader of the group, has passed away after a long illness. According to Agence France-Presse, the Taliban made this announcement on Tuesday (September 4). Following Jalaluddin Haqqani's death, the leadership of the group has been handed over to Sirajuddin, his son, who previously served as his deputy. In its statement, the Taliban described Jalaluddin Haqqani as one of the 'prominent contemporary jihadist figures.' It is unclear when, where, and from what illness he died. In 2015, rumors of his death circulated when he was in his early 80s. Unconfirmed reports indicated that he was in Pakistan earlier this year. During the 1980s, he was one of the commanders of the Afghan Mujahideen fighting against Soviet forces after the invasion of the country, receiving support from the United States and Pakistan. Due to his organizational skills, he was able to meet with Charlie Wilson, a U.S. Congressman, and gained the attention of the CIA. Jalaluddin Haqqani, who was also fluent in Arabic, established connections with Arabic-speaking fighters such as Osama bin Laden and later was appointed as a minister in the Taliban group. The Haqqani Network has conducted operations against U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the American invasion, and it is said that many recent explosions across Afghanistan, including in Kabul, attributed to ISIS, were carried out by members of this group. Analysts believe that this network collaborates with the Islamic State for political reasons and to evade responsibility for its actions. Mike Mullen, the commander of U.S. forces in the region, had identified the Haqqani Network, long suspected of ties to Pakistan, as an arm of the Pakistani military's intelligence agency. This network, which primarily uses suicide bombers in its operations, is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Although it is uncertain what changes will occur in the group with the leadership passing to Haqqani's son, Michael Kugelman, a foreign diplomat in Kabul, told AFP that given Haqqani's long illness, he does not expect anything to 'change' in the group with his death. Afghan analyst Ata Nuri also believes that since Jalaluddin Haqqani was not an 'active member' of the Haqqani Network due to his illness, his death will not bring any changes to the network or Taliban operations.