Founder of Afghanistan Haqqani network, ex-US ally turned fierce enemy, has died
Jalaluddin Haqqani rose to prominence as a guerilla leader in the US-backed campaign against Soviet forces occupying Afghanistan but later allied himself with the Taliban, fighting American troops
The founder of the Haqqani network, one of Afghanistan’s most effective and feared militant groups, has died after a long illness, their affiliates the Afghan Taliban announced Tuesday.
Jalaluddin Haqqani, whose son Sirajuddin now heads the brutal group and is also the Taliban’s deputy leader, died “after a long battle with illness”, the Taliban said in a statement.
Jalaluddin “was from among the great distinguished Jihadi personalities of this era”, the Taliban said in a statement posted on Twitter.
During the 1980s the Haqqani figurehead was an Afghan mujahideen commander fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan with the help of the US and Pakistan.
He gained notoriety for his organisation and bravery, garnering attention from the CIA and a personal visit from US congressman Charlie Wilson.
A fluent Arabic speaker, Jalaluddin also fostered close ties with Arab jihadists, including Osama bin Laden, who flocked to the region during the war. Later, Jalaluddin became a minister in the Taliban regime.