In the Taliban's newly formed interim government, several cabinet members are wanted by United Nations sanctions and U.S. bounties, including members of the Haqqani family, who occupy various important positions in the new government.
Because of their military and economic power, the Haqqani family moved from a former subsidiary branch of the Taliban directly to the center of power of the new Taliban government and became its main core force. The local government is considered to be the de facto number three person.
Khalil Haqqani, the main leader of the Harkani Network and the current Minister for Refugees, was interviewed exclusively by Phoenix TV worldwide. He said that the new Taliban government will establish friendly relations with all countries in the world and hoped that the international community would continue to provide support and assistance to Afghanistan.
Phoenix TV special Afghan reporter Zhang Tingfeng:
After the Taliban took over the Afghan regime and Kabul, a large number of Afghans fled the country and went to some Western countries. As Afghan Refugee Minister, how do you see this phenomenon?
Head of the Afghan Haqqani Network Current Minister of Refugees Khalil Haqqani:
Thank you for coming to us. You all know the current situation in Afghanistan, and there are many problems in Afghanistan now, but we will slowly solve these problems, and we hope that the countries of the world, especially China, can continue to help us. We will establish friendly relations with all the countries of the world. The main reason people are fleeing Afghanistan is because of corruption in the previous government, which has declared an amnesty and will not hold anyone accountable.
In addition to being the minister for refugees in the new Taliban government, Khalil Haqqani was also responsible for the security of the entire capital, Kabul, and his nephew, Shirajadin Haqqani, as the current leader of the Haqqani network, became defence minister.
More importantly, both uncles and nephews are the number one wanted recipients designated by the United States and offered a heavy bounty. When asked by reporters how to view the Definition and Evaluation of the Haqqani Family in the United States, Haqqani said that they are not so-called terrorists and hopes that the United States and other countries will re-examine and look at the Haqqani family.
Zhang Tingfeng:
We know that you are a very important figure in the Haqqani family, and the Haqqani Network as an organization is still classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, what do you think of the American evaluation of the Haqqani organization?
Khalil Haqqani:
Harkani is the name of our family and we are proud and proud of it. The allegations (about the network of terrorist organizations) in some countries of the world are completely wrong, and they are simply untenable. We're not terrorists, the name Haqqani means to tell the truth, and we've been insisting on taking the initiative to tell the truth publicly.
News Background: How is the Harkani Network rising?
The Afghan Taliban earlier announced the formation of an interim government, in which the leader of the Haqqani network, Sirajddin Haqqani, was appointed acting minister of the interior. Let's take a look at how the Harkani network has risen.
The Harkani Network was founded in the 1970s by Jalaleddin Haqqani. The group at the time, with the support of the United States and Pakistan, rebelled against invading Soviet troops in Afghanistan.
After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the Haqqani network turned to allying itself with the Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in 1996. After the U.S. military invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to overthrow the Taliban regime, the Haqqani network also pointed its finger at the United States.
Since 2008, the Haqqani network has launched a series of attacks against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, including attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, causing a large number of casualties.
The Most Remarkable Thing about the Haqqani Network is that it is good at using suicide bombs and can cause huge casualties, and its main targets include military facilities and embassies, so the Haqqani Network is considered to be the most threatening armed organization to Western troops and personnel in Afghanistan.
In September 2012, the Obama administration announced the inclusion of the Haqqani Network in the list of terrorist organizations.
Based in eastern Afghanistan, the Haqqani network oversees the Taliban's financial and military assets on the Pakistan-Afghan border. Because the Haqqani network has contributed so much to the Taliban's combat effectiveness, after the Taliban returned to power, its leader, Sirajddin Haqqani, was appointed Acting Minister of the Interior to oversee the Afghan police and internal security.
Source: Phoenix TV comprehensive report
Edit: Mu Mu