Senior leader of Haqqani terror network captured in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan – A senior leader with the Haqqani network was captured by coalition forces Saturday in a security operation in eastern Afghanistan, an International Security Assistance Force official said. Haji Mali Khan, the senior Haqqani commander in Afghanistan and uncle of top Haqqani leaders Siraj and Badruddin Haqqani, was apprehended after he traveled from a stronghold in Pakistan into Afghanistan, officials said.

“He was one of the highest ranking members of the Haqqani network and a revered elder of the Haqqani clan,” a spokesman for ISAF said. “He managed bases and had oversight of operations in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mali Khan moved forces from Pakistan to Afghanistan to conduct terrorist activity. Jalaluddin Haqqani consistently placed Mali Khan in positions of high importance.”

Mali Khan was a messenger for late Baitullah Mehsud, leader of the Tehrik Taliban, who was responsible for the death of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The capture of Mali Khan is a significant blow to the Haqqani organization, whose network is a top priority for commanders in Afghanistan.

The Haqqani network, believed to be made up of nearly 15,000 fighters, is responsible for numerous attacks and hundreds of U.S. deaths in Afghanistan. Most recently, the group orchestrated attacks on the U.S. Embassy and NATO facilities in the capital, American intelligence officials believe.

“Capturing Mali Khan is an important step in taking the Haqqani network apart,” a U.S. official, familiar with the insurgent group, told The Washington Examiner. “He has valuable information, and his capture is sure to shake up the leadership in the group, but the road ahead is a long one.”

The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan has made the Haqqani network a primary target, seeing the group as a major threat to the government of President Hamid Karzai. But attacking the group has been difficult because of its ties to intelligence operatives in Pakistan, and the willingness of Pakistan to let the Haqqanis infiltrate the lawless frontier regions of that country, according to officials.

In testimony before the Senate Arms Services Committee last week outgoing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen blasted Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency calling them a “veritable arm” of the Haqqani network.

In Afghanistan, officials are equally blunt regarding Pakistan’s involvement with the Haqqani network. Many accuse Pakistan of supplying financial support, training and weapons to the group.

Former Northern Alliance Commander Amir Mohammed, who fought against the Soviet occupation, told The Examiner that “Pakistan has always manipulated and used the Haqqani network to do its bidding.”

“It is one of the greatest obstacles for Afghanistan,” Mohammed said. “The government of Afghanistan is weak… The truth is, we always knew about the relationship between Haqqani and Pakistan. If Pakistan continues to support Haqqani it will be impossible to dismantle the group. We will only have small successes but we will not win.”

However, ISAF officials, see the capture of Mali Khan as “a significant milestone in the disruption of the Haqqani network” as he was responsible for a militant camp in Mangal tribal lands in eastern Paktiya province and coordinated the transfer of money for insurgent operations, including acquiring supplies necessary to conduct operations against coalition troops.

At the time of his capture, Mali Khan was heavily armed. He, along with other insurgents, surrendered to security forces involved in the operation “without incident or resistance.”

Sara A. Carter is The Washington Examiner’s national security correspondent. She can be reached at [email protected].

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