Haqqani Leader Threatens Reprisals as Govt Executes Two over Bank Attack
20 June 2011
Insurgents in Afghanistan's violent east will target courts and judges after the execution of two fighters convicted over a brutal bank raid, one of the leaders of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network said on Monday. At least 40 people were killed when seven gunmen and suicide bombers, dressed in border police uniforms, attacked an office of private lender Kabulbank on February 19, triggering gunbattles that lasted several hours. Security camera footage...
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Pakistan Based Nazir Group Vows to Escalate Fight in Afghanistan in Response to Drone Strikes
09 June 2011
One of Pakistan's most powerful militant groups plans to step up its fight against American troops in neighboring Afghanistan in response to intensified U.S. drone missile strikes on its territory, two of its commanders said on Wednesday. The Central Intelligence Agency has been pounding an area of South Waziristan along the Afghan border controlled by Maulvi Nazir, one of Pakistan's most influential militant leaders. Since Friday, at least 34 militants...
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bin Laden Tried to Establish "Grand Coalition" of Militant Groups
30 May 2011
Osama bin Laden spent much of his last weeks alive planning a new attempt to bring the disparate factions among insurgents and militants fighting in Pakistan and Afghanistan together under the umbrella of al-Qaida. The terrorist leader, who had made repeated efforts to unify militant groups, was even considering risking leaving his safe house in Abbottabad, the northern Pakistani garrison town, to try to build a fresh alliance through face-to-face...
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ISI Presses Haqqani Network to Talk Peace while US Calls for Attacks
18 May 2011
Pakistan's intelligence service is pressing the Haqqani network of insurgents to join nascent Afghan peace talks, even as U.S. officials demand an offensive against the group, highlighting tensions between the two nations two weeks after the U.S. infuriated officials here with the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. U.S. officials have threatened more raids could be launched unless Pakistan moves swiftly against militants such as the Haqqani network,...
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US Places Haqqani Network Commander Badruddin Haqqani on Terrorism List
11 May 2011
The Secretary of State has designated Haqqani Network (HQN) Commander Badruddin Haqqani under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. As a result of the designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which Badruddin Haqqani has any interest is blocked and U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him. This action will help stem the flow of...
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US Designates Two al Qaeda, Haqqani Network Leaders as Terrorists
09 February 2011
US Designates al Qaeda, Haqqani Network Leaders as Terrorists [blog], The Long War Journal, 9 February 2011
EXCERPT: "The US Treasury Department has targeted senior leaders of al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network, designating them as global terrorists. The al Qaeda commander ran a training camp in Pakistan, while the Haqqani Network commander is a brother of the leader of the Haqqani Network who has helped raise funds for the terror group...
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Suspected Insurgents Arrested at Kabul Airport as Flight for Saudi Arabia Turned Back
09 November 2010
Afghans Detain Suspected Insurgents on Board Plane, Reuters, 9 November 2010
EXCERPT: "Afghan and international forces detained four suspected insurgents at Kabul airport after ordering the commercial aircraft on which they were flying to return to Afghanistan, the NATO-led force said on Tuesday. The plane, which had taken off for Saudi Arabia, was called back to Kabul airport on Monday after several intelligence tip-offs that a senior...
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Understanding Warlordism: Three Biographies from Afghanistan's Southeastern Areas
04 November 2010
Understanding Warlordism: Three Biographies from Afghanistan's Southeastern Areas [pdf], International Peace Research Institute, Oslo, 1 January 2010
EXCERPT: "How do 'warlords' ? defined in the Afghan context both by their military skills and capacity to strike a balance between local and external sources of support ? respond when the war they are fighting ends? Why do some choose compliance with the new political order while...
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Taliban Claim Success against NATO's Intensified Night Raids
03 November 2010
Taliban Claim Success against Nato's Night Raids, The Guardian, 31 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Taliban commanders claim they are foiling intensified night-time attacks by elite troops that Nato officials hoped would bring the insurgents to the negotiating table in Afghanistan. Officials say a fivefold increase in 'kill or capture' raids and escalating airstrikes are putting the Taliban under unprecedented pressure and prompting...
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Quetta Shura, Haqqani Network Leaders Emerge from Pakistan to Join Afghan Peace Talks
20 October 2010
, The New York Times, 19 October 2010
EXCERPT: " [...] The Taliban leaders coming into Afghanistan for talks have left their havens in Pakistan on the explicit assurance that they will not be attacked or arrested by NATO forces, Afghans familiar with the talks say. Many top Taliban leaders reside in Pakistan, where they are believed to enjoy at least some official protection. In...
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