KABUL: The Afghan Taliban have stated that the United States has withdrawn its $10 million reward offer for information leading to the arrest of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current interior minister in the Taliban government and leader of the Haqqani network.
According to an Afghan interior ministry spokesperson on Saturday, the reward has been lifted. The Haqqani network, which Sirajuddin heads, has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States. It was accused of carrying out high-profile attacks against US, coalition, and Afghan forces during the two-decade war in Afghanistan.
Sirajuddin Haqqani has been listed as a wanted individual by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with a $10 million reward previously offered for information that could lead to his arrest. His name still appears on the FBI’s official website as of Saturday, where he is described as “believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan.”
The US State Department has not issued any statement regarding the Taliban’s claim. Reuters reported that the State Department did not immediately respond to its request for comment on the status of the reward.
The announcement by the Afghan Taliban follows a recent agreement between US and Taliban officials that led to the release of an American citizen from detention in Afghanistan. George Glezmann, a US citizen and Delta Airlines employee, had been held in Afghanistan since 2022. He was released on Thursday and departed Kabul for Qatar aboard a Qatari aircraft after direct negotiations between US hostage envoy Adam Boehler and Taliban officials.
Sirajuddin Haqqani has held a senior position in the Taliban government since it seized control of Kabul in August 2021. He was among the first Taliban leaders to enter the capital after the withdrawal of US forces. For several months following the takeover, Haqqani maintained a low public profile, attending meetings with Taliban officials and foreign representatives while avoiding photographs. In March 2022, he made his first public appearance without concealing his identity.
Sirajuddin is the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, a prominent Mujahideen commander who fought against Soviet forces in the 1980s. Jalaluddin later aligned with the Taliban and held a ministerial position in their first government during the 1990s.
The Haqqani network has been accused by the United States and its allies of orchestrating suicide bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations, particularly in Kabul. Despite these allegations, the Taliban leadership insists that the Haqqani network operates under the Taliban’s central command and does not function as a separate faction.
In December 2023, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, acting minister for refugees and uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, was killed in an explosion in Kabul along with six other individuals.
As of now, the FBI continues to list Sirajuddin Haqqani on its Rewards for Justice program, maintaining the reward for information on his whereabouts.
