The increasing numbers of fighters linked to a Pakistani terrorist group who have been killed or captured in Afghanistan this month illustrates the network’s growing role in the violence there, officials told The Washington Examiner.
The Haqqani network, based in Pakistan, is working with al Qaeda to conduct suicide missions and combat operations against U.S. coalition forces in Afghanistan, according to Afghan and U.S. defense officials. More than 50 Haqqani fighters have been captured or killed in operations since Aug 1, along with the capture of eight commanders, a U.S. spokesman in Afghanistan said.
Over the weekend, Afghan commandos, aided by American troops, battled Haqqani and al Qaeda fighters in the Dzadran District of Paktia province. Fighting in the mountainous region continued until air strikes were called in and 23 insurgents were killed, Lt. Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, said in a phone interview from Kabul.
“The Haqqani network leadership hides in Pakistan and therefore is hard to reach for coalition forces,” Lt. Col Dorrian said. “But they have to train, move and communicate, which makes them susceptible to attack, which coalition and Afghan forces have recently done.”
Last month the U.S. Treasury Department added three top Haqqani network leaders to the list of designated terrorists for their support of terror groups in Afghanistan, including Nasiruddin Haqqani. He is one of several brothers of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the overall leader of the Haqqani network, according to U.S. officials.
Several Afghan officials told the Examiner there has been a steady increase of foreign fighters over the past year. The officials said the fighters are entering from the Pakistan border in the eastern provinces.
“We are seeing the establishment of more foreigners here,” one Afghan official said on the condition he not be named. “It makes it difficult. They continue to spill across the border to set up camps to train and recruit. They are getting their money from wealthy supporters in the Middle East, Persian Gulf, Iran and other areas of the world.”
In the six weeks since Gen. David H. Petraeus has assumed command, violence in the region has soared in both the southern and northern provinces. He has witnessed continued problems plaguing the Afghan government with corruption, but he has also witnessed success against the terrorist groups in the past month, the general said in a round of interviews.
He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that his goal is to dismantle al Qaeda and other extremist groups, including the Haqqani network, providing a secure environment in which the Afghan government can win the people’s trust.
“We’re here so that Afghanistan does not once again become a sanctuary for transnational extremists the way it was when al Qaeda planned the 9/11 attacks in the Kandahar area,” he said.
Military officials say that successfully targeting the terror groups in the region and holding them at bay will enable the commander to buy the Afghan government more time.
It won’t be easy.
A U.S. defense official in Afghanistan said foreign fighters are taking on dangerous missions in Afghanistan that the Taliban won’t.
He said the foreigners — Arabs, Syrians, Chechens and Uzbeks, among others — have remained a significant problem in the region and conduct suicide missions among other logistical operations.
The Haqqani network specializes in suicide attacks, which “are not a tactic that is historically favored by Afghans,” the U.S. defense official said.
“Haqqani fighters also use IEDs [improvised explosive devices], a tactic which is responsible for the majority of Afghan civilian casualties.”
Their ability to conduct operations in the region stems from the tens of millions raised through wealthy donors in the Middle East, as well as narcotics operations.
Nasiruddin Haqqani has functioned as an emissary for his terrorist network, fundraising in the Persian gulf from 2005 to 2009 and raising millions of dollars to finance the insurgency, according to Treasury Department reports.
He also traveled to the United Arab Emirates in 2007 on a fundraising trip.
“The Haqqani network is responsible for many of the spectacular attacks, including attacks in Kabul,” Dorrian said. “The recent operations by coalition and Afghan security forces present a significant disruption to their planning and command and control.”
Sara A. Carter is The Washington Examiner’s national security correspondent. She can be reached at [email protected].
