Two and a half months after their return to power, the Taliban are still working to break the diplomatic and economic isolation from which their country suffers, in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. The international community is reluctant to come to the aid of a regime that does not recognize basic human rights rules. Even more worrying for the security of the world, the main powers, some of which say they are close to these Muslim fundamentalists, find that the Taliban government is in the hands of a clan that has not given up on its hostility towards it. from the outside world: the Haqqani network.
The scene that made the chancelleries shudder took place on October 18 in the lounges of a large hotel in the Afghan capital, the Intercontinental. Home Secretary Sirajuddin Haqqani, chief of the homonymous clan who was for a long time the number one enemy of the US military, climbs to the podium to praise the suicide bombers behind the attacks against the old regime and NATO forces. In front of him, several hundred people, relatives of “These martyrs” to whom he promises 100 euros per family, clothes and land.
His spokesperson, Saeed Khosty, reports that Sirajuddin Haqqani “Hailed the jihad and the sacrifices of the mujahideen”, calling them “Hero of Islam and the country”. He, he said, added that “The advent of the Islamic system is the result of the blood of our martyrs”, before concluding, “Now you and I must refrain from betraying their aspirations”. The choice of place is surely not linked to chance. In January 2018, members of the Haqqani network stormed this establishment and killed forty people, including fourteen foreigners, and made dozens of hostages.
Western intelligence services worried
The only photos of this ceremony were posted on Twitter by the spokesperson. They show a compact assistance in which circulate members of the special forces on the lookout. Among the speakers visible in these pictures, only one man has a blurred face ” For safety reasons “, says his entourage: Sirajuddin Haqqani. We can also see him from behind or hidden by the silhouette of kamikaze parents who came to give him a hug. It is, to this day, the only public appearance of the one who was named, in 2015, military leader and number two of the Taliban movement, before becoming one of the main ministers of a government in which he exercises today. a strong hold.
You have 70.37% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.