HAQQANI NETWORK

Sept. 5, 2018

Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani Network, has passed away after a long illness, the Taliban announced.

About:

Haqqani Network is a Sunni Islamist militant organization operating in the south-eastern region of Afghanistan and the north-western Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan.
US and Afghan officials claim the Haqqani Network is backed by the Pakistani military, a charge denied by Pakistani authorities. The network allegedly receives most of its funding from the Gulf countries.
Ideology and Goals: Like Taliban, it is fighting for eradicating Western influence and forces from Afghanistan and transform it into a strictly sharia-following state.
Timeline:
- The Haqqani Network was formed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1970s.
- In 1995, the Haqqani Network allied with the Taliban and the two groups captured the Afghan capital Kabul in 1996.
- In 2012, the US designated the group a terrorist organization.
- On September 4, 2018, the Taliban announced that Jalaluddin passed away after a long illness. The network is now headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, Jalaluddin's son.