The Taliban’s acting interior minister, designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist, praised suicide bombers and rewarded their families at a recent event.
Sirajuddin Haqqani hosted a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday evening, praising “the jihad & sacrifices of Mujahideen & martyrs,” whom he called “heroes of Islam & the country,” according to Interior Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khosty.
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“Now you & I must refrain from betraying the aspirations of our martyrs,” Haqqani said, according to Khosty, who added that the Taliban leader distributed 10,000 afghanis (roughly $112) per family and promised a plot of land to each.
1/3- “The advent of the Islamic system is the result of the blood of our martyrs”
Alhaj Mullah Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani
Yesterday, H.E Interior Minister Alhaj Mullah Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani met the family members of martyred Fidayeen at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul pic.twitter.com/er58Cz0fxv— Qari Saeed Khosty (@SaeedKhosty) October 19, 2021
Khosty also tweeted photos of a packed auditorium with a blurred-out Haqqani, whom the State Department’s Reward for Justice program is offering $10 million for his arrest, embracing the families.
The event comes as the interim Taliban government attempts to find its footing in Afghanistan after overthrowing the U.S.-backed Afghan government in August ahead of the U.S. military’s withdrawal. Several members of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network have received top positions in the Taliban’s “caretaker” government.
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Since then, the U.S. and other Western countries have attempted to pressure Taliban leaders to meet specific conditions to achieve international recognition.
The Taliban government is faced with battling ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan. ISIS-K has taken responsibility for multiple bombings in recent weeks since the U.S. withdrawal.
