Haqqani network

The Haqqani Network is an Sunni Islamist insurgent group that operates in Eastern Afghanistan but is based out of Pakistan. Since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the Haqqani Network has perpetrated deadly attacks on U.S and Afghan forces.

In early September 2021 during talks in the Presidential Palace over forming a new cabinet, Abdul Ghani Baradar was physically attacked by Khalil ul Rahman Haqqani, a leader of the US terrorist-designated Haqqani Network. Baradar pushed for an “inclusive” cabinet that included non-Taliban leaders and ethnic minorities, which would be more acceptable to the rest of the world, the people said. Khalil ul Rahman Haqqani rose from his chair and began punching Baradar. Their bodyguards entered the opened fire on each other, killing and wounding a number of them. While Baradar was not injured and left Kabul for Kandahar to speak with Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, effectively the Taliban’s spiritual head.

Leadership

• Jalaluddin Haqqani- founder of the Haqqani Network. He died in 2018.

• Sirajuddin Haqqani- reported deputy emir; head of the Quetta Shura

• Abdul Aziz Ahbasin- Haqqani Network governor of Paktika province in Afghanistan

• Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani- Gulf based fundraiser and facilitator

Pakistani support

In September 2011, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen has said that the Haqqani Network is a "veritable arm of the ISI".

2021 Kabul airport bombing

See also: Fall of Kabul

Kabul airport suicide bombing, August 26, 2021.

On August 18, 2021 NBC News reported that the U.S. was working with the Taliban to evacuate Americans and allies out of Afghanistan. Gen. Mark Milley stated, "Through the State Department, the Taliban are facilitating safe passage to the airport for American citizens, that is, U.S. passport holders." An exchange with a reporter and defense minister Lloyd Austin went like this:

Q: It seems to me like barring a lobotomy by the Taliban; you have three pathways ahead of you. One, you can expand the perimeter and establish a corridor into Kabul to get our Afghan allies out. Two, you could extend the August 31 deadline of withdrawing. Or three, you can just leave the tens of thousands of Afghans who've helped us over the past 20 years behind. Which one is it going to be? SEC. AUSTIN: First of all, as I said, we're going to evacuate everybody that we can physically possibly evacuate. And we'll -- we'll conduct these -- this process for as long as we possibly can. We will continue to deconflict issues with -- with the Taliban. And we will stay focused on securing the -- the airfield. We cannot afford to either not defend that airfield or -- or -- or not have an airfield that secures where we have hundreds or thousands of civilians that can access the airfield at will and put our forces at risk. Q: But that doesn't answer the question. I mean, you're still saying you're focused on the airfield. These -- these people can't get into the airfield. SEC. AUSTIN: Well we're going to do everything we can to continue to try to deconflict and create passageways for them to get to the airfield. I don't have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul. And where do you take that? I mean, how far can you extend into Kabul, you know, and how long does it take to flow those forces in to be able to do that? Q: So it sounds like you're saying this depends on diplomacy with the Taliban, that's it. That's our only option is getting them to agree to do this.

Biden told George Stephanopoulos the same morning that "one of the things we didn't know is what the Taliban would do in terms of trying to keep people from getting out, what they would do. What are they doing now? They're cooperating, letting American citizens get out, American personnel get out, embassies get out, et cetera.

On August 19, 2921 VOA announced Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani had been placed in charge of security around the Kabul airport. On August 22, 2021, Haqqani told Al Jazeera, “all Afghans” should feel safe under their Islamic Emirate, and that a “general amnesty” has been granted across the nation’s 34 provinces. "If we can defeat superpowers, surely we can provide safety to the Afghan people," said Haqqani, "All of those people who left this country, we will assure them of their safety," Haqqani went on. "You’re all welcome back in Afghanistan." The Haqqani network was already executing civilians and former members of the Afghan National Army, according to the United Nations.

Stuart Ramsey of Sky News wrote shortly after being expelled from Afghanistan by the UK Ministry of Defense amidst all the mayhem,

"One hope lies in a possible uprising. I wouldn’t discount it because young people born in the past 20 years (nearly two-thirds of Afghans are under 25 years of age) are used to Western ways, the internet and smartphones and won’t want to go back to some sort of medieval nonsense run by a bunch of criminals. And they are, by and large, just that, the most influential security people within the Taliban organization belonging to the Haqqani Network, a cartel that sells opium around the world.

September 2011 Kabul Attack

See also: September 2011 Kabul Attack

The September 2011 Kabul Attack occurred where the Haqqani network attacked multiple locations in the city of Kabul in Afghanistan, including the U.S Embassy and the Headquarters of NATO. A total of 9 people were killed and another 23 wounded. The attack was planned and supported by the Pakistani Military and the Inter-Services Intelligence.

2009 Camp Chapman Attack

See also: 2009 Camp Chapman Attack

The 2009 Camp Chapman Attack was a suicide attack by Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi on a CIA facility located in the Khost province of Afghanistan. The attack was masterminded by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence who paid $200,000 to the Haqqani network to carry out the attack.