al-qaida chief ayman al-zawahiri the coordinator 2016 part 4-1- tb-36- akhtar mohammad mansour shah...

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CdW Intelligence to Rent -2016- In Confidence [email protected] Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2016 Part 4-1- TB-36- Akhtar Mohammad Mansour Shah Mohammed-37- Update 22 May Taliban confirm leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor killed in US drone strike. Who could be the next TB Amir ul Mumineen? 22May Unconfirmed Mullah Haibatullah appointed as Taliban’s acting supreme leader 22 May Taliban confirm leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor killed in US drone strike. Pentagon says strike was carried out in Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, while militants say successor to Mullah Omar is dead The Afghan Taliban have confirmed the death of leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor after the US military announced he was the target of a drone strike in Pakistan.Mullah Abdul Rauf, a senior commander of the militant group, told the Associated Press on Sunday that Mansoor died in the strike on Friday night. Rauf said the strike took place “in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area”. The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani confirmed the strike but did not confirm Mansour’s death, though the country’s chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, said Mansour was “more than likely” dead. On Saturday the US Department of Defense said it had conducted the strike targeting Mansoor “in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region”. It did not confirm Mansoor’s death, but an official told the Associated Press he was believed killed along with another male in the attack, which took place south-west of the Pakistani town of Ahmad Wal. The Pentagon statement said Mansoor was “the “Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War CdW Intelligence to Rent Page 1 of 15 31/08/2022

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Page 1: Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2016 Part 4-1- TB-36- Akhtar Mohammad Mansour Shah Mohammed-37

CdW Intelligence to Rent -2016- In Confidence [email protected]

Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2016 Part 4-1- TB-36- Akhtar Mohammad Mansour Shah Mohammed-37-Update

22 May Taliban confirm leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor killed in US drone strike. Who could be the next TB Amir ul Mumineen?22May Unconfirmed Mullah Haibatullah appointed as Taliban’s acting supreme leader

22 May Taliban confirm leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor killed in US drone strike. Pentagon says strike was carried out in Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, while militants say successor to Mullah Omar is deadThe Afghan Taliban have confirmed the death of leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor after the US military announced he was the target of a drone strike in Pakistan.Mullah Abdul Rauf, a senior commander of the militant group, told the Associated Press on Sunday that Mansoor died in the strike on Friday night. Rauf said the strike took place “in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area”. The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani confirmed the strike but did not confirm Mansour’s death, though the country’s chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, said Mansour was “more than likely” dead.

On Saturday the US Department of Defense said it had conducted the strike targeting Mansoor “in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region”. It did not confirm Mansoor’s death, but an official told the Associated Press he was believed killed along with another male in the attack, which took place south-west of the Pakistani town of Ahmad Wal. The Pentagon statement said Mansoor was “the leader of the Taliban and actively involved with planning attacks against facilities in Kabul

and across Afghanistan, presenting a threat to Afghan civilians and security forces, our personnel and coalition partners”. Mansoor was “an obstacle to peace and reconciliation between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban”, the Pentagon said, “prohibiting Taliban leaders from participating in peace talks with the Afghan government that could lead to an end to the conflict”.

Cees ***: Although claims are made that Mullah Akthar Mansour is killed, some reservations need to be in place.The National Directorate of Security for Afghanistan intelligence service, says Taliban Mullah Mansour died in yesterday’s airstrike that was carried out by the US in Pakistan.“#AkhtarMansoor, #Taliban leader is killed yesterday in a air strike in Dalbandine, #Balouchistan, Pakistan,” the NDS posted on its official Twitter account.Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Officer, echoed the NDS and claimed that Mansour “was killed in a drone strike in Quetta, Pakistan at 4:30 pm yesterday,” TOLONews reported. Quetta is the capital of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.The US military, which executed yesterday’s airstrike that targeted Mansour, has not confirmed Mansour’s death.

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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Previous confirmed claims regarding Insurgents and terror leaders being killed proved often wrong.

It took the intelligence world two years to identify that the previous TB leader Mullah Omar was dead for two years.

However, the failure to disclose Omar’s death caused divisions within the Taliban that have only been mended until recently, with the help of Siraj Haqqani, Mansour’s deputy. Given Siraj’s stature within the Taliban as well as with Pakistan’s military and Inter-Service Intelligence Directorate, Taliban leadership may be eager to turn the page from Mansour’s brief tenure.

The Afghan Intelligence service confirming Mansour dead raises a question: They are not on the site.

The apparent site is inside Pakistan. Pakistan has always denied any TB leadership presence in Pakistan. If confirmed killed Pakistan has to admit the presence.

A US strike inside Pakistan is a very sensitive issue for Pakistan and will strain the relations.

How does this contribute to the so-called Peace Initiative and what are the consequences for the – stability -TB and affiliates in the FATA.

Or the ISIL Khorasan..Journalist mention that ID cards found on site reflects locals killed

The TB senior confirming the dead could be part of deception, the best for a leader is to let the World believe you are dead. Remember: It took the intelligence world two years to identify that the previous TB leader Mullah Omar was dead for two years, and Mansour on the helm.

The Taliban has not released an official statement on Mansour’s status. The group’s official website, Voice of Jihad, remains offline; it has been down for all but several hours in the last six days.

Taliban spokesmen Qari Yousef Ahmadi and Zabihullah Muhajid have resumed tweeting, but have not commented on reports of Mansour’s death. Their tweets consist only of standard Taliban propaganda.

If Mansour is alive, expect the Taliban to issue a denial, likely via an audio message from Mansour himself.

If killed TB may seek revenge: attacks in Kabul, up tick of the current relatively successful TB offensive etc, or an uprising in the FATA.

If killed: Who will replace as the Commander of the Faithfull. If so will the Muhammad Way being used and will all of TB and AQSL line up with

the new leader. If killed is the desired effect: create Split and Crack bring the TB to the table or ..

The TB is convinced it can win this war by fight, and Mansour had 3 years to bring them where they are.

From an operational perspective he has set conditions for the current offensive, him being killed ~(if confirmed) does not change this years offensive.

The insurgents used only 2,000 fighters to seize the northern city of Kunduz last year. District by district, Afghan troops are being pulled back to urban centres in Helmand, in the south.

Such is the fragility of the National Unity government that a Taliban offensive on Kabul, leading to the temporary seizure of several suburbs, would almost certainly lead to the coalition's collapse. Even if the Taliban do choose to join the talks, that action would be postponed but not cancelled.

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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Moreover a new leader could be much more ruthless than Mansour: Sirajuddin being one of the deputies could be a brilliant move as the HQN is very close connected with AQ and its lead affiliatesReally hard evidence is needed to confirm as the bodies found on the site are burned beyond recognition.

LWJ 21 May: If Mansour is confirmed killed, one likely successor is Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network which is also closely tied to the Taliban. Siraj is one of Mansour’s two deputies and serves as the Taliban’s overall military commander. If Siraj replaced Mansour, he is even more unlikely than his predecessor to negotiate a peace agreement.

The social media have been rife with a viral report suggesting that the successor of Mullah Mohammad had a Pakistani passport. A photograph which purportedly shows a photograph of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor printed in the main page of a Pakistani passport has gone viral on social media following reports of his death in a drone strike.Mullah Mansoor’s death has been confirmed by the Afghan security institutions including the Afghan Intelligence Agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS). The Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah also confirmed the supreme leader of the Taliban group Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was killed in a drone strike in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan province of Pakistan. The US Department of Defense first confirmed on Saturday that the Taliban supreme leader was targeted in a drone strike.“Today, the Department of Defense conducted an airstrike that targeted Taliban leader Mullah Mansur in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region,” a statement by Department of Defense said.The Afghan government also confirmed that the vehicle of Mullah Mansoor was targeted in an airstrike in the southwest of the town of Ahmad Wal.However, the Afghan government said an investigation is underway to confirm that death of Mansoor which would be announced as soon as they receive final information confirming his death.- Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agency

Who could be the next TB Amir ul MumineenPrevious Aug 2015, The Islamic Emirate pledged their allegiance with Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor as Amir-ul-Momineen in accordance with the principal of listening and obedience

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor as Amir-ul-Momineenas the deputy heads of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan;

Moulavi Haibatullah Akhunzada C: On 5 Dec 2015 when it was wrongly claimed that Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour reportedly died the Taliban appointed Moulavi Haibatullah Akhunzada as Mansours replacement and caretaker chief

Mullah Sirajuddin Haqqani -- C: something very significant could be brewing.

Sources, say Sirajudin Haqqani, Jalaluddin's son, has been running the Haqqani militant network for over a year now, ever since his father's illness, Due to his ailment, the militant ‘commander’ had handed over operational command of the Haqqani network to his son, Sirajuddin.

Jalaluddin Haqqani, Afghan founder of militant network, died at least a year ago, sources tell. C: this could be brilliant move as the HQN is very close connected with AQ and its lead affiliates, whom have been silent so far and not indicated of renewing their bayat- allegiance - to the “new” Amir-ul-mimineen or choosing the “other” Baghdadi.

C: Sirajuddin being one of the deputies could be a brilliant move as the HQN is very close connected with AQ and its lead affiliates, whom at least 3 of them have in a joint statement commemorating Mullah Omar’s jihadist career, but have been silent so far and not indicated of renewing their bayat- allegiance - to the “new” Amir-ul-mimineen or choosing the “other” Baghdadi. Mansour and Siraj Haqqani are both allied with al Qaeda. Mansour recently described al Qaeda’s leaders as the “heroes of the current jihadist era.” It’s likely just a question of time before we could see statements from AQSL and other leads to include bayat to Mansour the new TB Emir and by doing so making it clear, again that Baghdadi the IS leader is not the “one”. The ultimo would be, and is not impossible, that al Zawahiri pays bayat to Mansour, but it could take a while before it to become public, we need to be watchfully.

C: with much attention going to the self declared Islamic state we need to remember: The Sixth Phase AQ strategic 2020 plan in which from 2016 onwards there will a period of "total confrontation." As soon as the caliphate has been

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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declared the "Islamic army" it will instigate the "fight between the believers and the non-believers" which has so often been predicted by Osama bin Laden. -- The Jordanian journalist Fouad Hussein mentioning "I interviewed a whole range of al-Qaida members with different ideologies to get an idea of how the war between the terrorists and Washington would develop in the future." What he then describes is a scenario, proof both of the terrorists' blindness as well as their brutal single-mindedness. In seven phases the terror network hopes to establish an Islamic caliphate which the West will then be too weak to fight.

The Jul 2015, announcement also said that the Taliban’s two “deputy heads” would be Maulavi Haibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban’s former judiciary chief and a Haqqani network member, and Mullah Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network and the son of its founder, Jalaluddin Haqqani.

Zawahiri, "We pledge our allegiance... to our lord, leader of the faithful, Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour, may god protect him".

Nov 2015, The Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate appointed the respected Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai as the head of the Political Office and Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi as his deputy. Stanekzai Sahib was appointed as the acting chief of the Political Office after the respected Sayed Muhammad Tayyab Agha resigned.

Sunday, 6 December 2015, The Afghan Taliban released an audio message Saturday it said was from leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, vehemently rejecting reports of his death in an internal firefight as “enemy propaganda”.

8 Apr 2016: The Taliban announced this week that Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, a brother of Mullah Omar, was named “the head of Dawat wal Irshad,” or the Preaching and Guidance Commission

Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, Omar’s eldest son, was given a seat on the executive council, which is better known as the Quetta Shura, “as well as the military chief of 15 provinces” within the structure of the Taliban’s Military Commission.

The Military Commission is the Taliban’s largest and most influential structure, and Yacoub now assumes control of military operations in 15 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

US targeted Taliban emir Mullah Mansour in unprecedented Pakistan drone strikeBY BILL ROGGIO | May 21, 2016 | [email protected] | @billroggioThe US military said it targeted and possibly killed Taliban emir Mullah Mansour today in an “airstrike” in a remote area along the “Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.” Mansour’s status is unknown and the military said it is attempting to determine if he is dead or alive.“We are still assessing the results of the strike and will provide more information as it becomes available,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in an official statement.“Mansour has been the leader of the Taliban and actively involved with planning attacks against facilities in Kabul and across Afghanistan, presenting a threat to Afghan civilians and security forces, our personnel, and Coalition partners,” Cook said, offering justification for the strike. “Mansour has been an obstacle to peace and reconciliation between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, prohibiting Taliban leaders from

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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participating in peace talks with the Afghan government that could lead to an end to the conflict.”Mansour officially replaced Mullah Omar, the founder of the Taliban, as the group’s emir in August 2015 when Omar’s death was disclosed. But Mansour has really been at the helm of the Taliban since April 2013, when Omar died and the Taliban kept his death secret for more than two years. Since taking the role of emir, Mansour fought and won a divisive power struggle against senior Taliban leaders who preferred Omar’s eldest son as heir to the group. Mansour led a deadly uprising that saw the resurgent Taliban gain more territory than any time since the US invasion in 2001.It may take days for the US to receive physical confirmation of Mansour’s death, if at all possible. The Taliban has not issued an official statement announcing Mansour’s death. Voice of Jihad, the Taliban’s official website, has been offline most of the week.While the Pentagon did not state the location of the airstrike which targeted Mansour, Reuters reported that it took place at 6 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (3 p.m. local time) in the town of Ahmad Wal in Baluchistan province.“Multiple US drones targeted the men as they rode in a vehicle in a remote area in Pakistan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, southwest of the town of Ahmad Wal,” an unnamed official told the news agency.US intelligence officials confirmed to The Long War Journal that the strike took place in Mansour’s home Baluchistan province.A strike in Baluchistan is unprecedented and may signal a shift in US policy which previously confined drone strikes to Pakistan’s tribal agencies. This is the first reported strike by the US in Baluchistan, where the Taliban’s top leadership setup shop in Quetta. All of the other 391 drone and airstrikes reportedly executed by the US took place in Pakistan’s province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Only one other strike took place outside of the Federally Administered Tribal Agencies, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. Of those 390 strikes that occurred in the tribal agencies, 280 took place in North Waziristan and 90 took place in South Waziristan.Conducting a strike in Baluchistan raises questions whether or not the US sought permission from the Pakistani government to carry out the attack in an area other than North and South Waziristan. Mansour was believed to be operating under the auspices and protection of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.If Mansour is confirmed killed, one likely successor is Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network which is also closely tied to the Taliban. Siraj is one of Mansour’s two deputies and serves as the Taliban’s overall military commander.If Siraj replaced Mansour, he is even more unlikely than his predecessor to negotiate a peace agreement.The Taliban has insisted that only the return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the imposition of its harsh brand of sharia – or Islamic law – and the withdrawal of all Western forces is acceptable.The Taliban released a statement last month sternly denying another senior leader – Mullah Adbul Qayoum Zakir, a former Guantanamo detainee – had called for negotiations with the Afghan government and the West. Although he might represent a coup for the US, Mullah Zakir is an unlikely successor to Mansour. And Zakir, who is also closely tied to al Qaeda, is just as committed to restoring the Taliban to power as Mansour and Siraj.Two other possible successors include Omar’s eldest son, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, and Omar’s brother, Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund. Both were appointed to key Taliban leadership positions last month in the group’s executive council as a way to smooth over any lingering discontent. Omar’s kin opposed the appointment of Mansour and Yaqoub was rumored to have sought the seat to replace his father. It took nearly two months after

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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the change in leadership for Yaqoub to swear allegiance to Mansour in September 2015.By that point, it was already clear Mansour had navigated through turbulent times. In August 2015, Mansour accepted the oath of allegiance from al Qaeda emir Ayman Zawahiri, as well as pledges from “Jihadi organizations spread throughout the globe.” Mansour’s public acceptance of Zawahiri’s fealty above all others signaled the new face of the Taliban had no intention to break longstanding ties with al Qaeda. The reconciliation with Omar’s family was a final piece to the puzzle. His apparent unification of Taliban ranks did not keep Mansour out of the crosshairs, however. In December, Mansour released an audio statement denying reports of his death, which he said were floated by his enemies to divide his group.Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of The Long War Journal.

Media is saturated with stories of ISIS, the Taliban, and EgyptAir’s terrorism-linked crash, but whether this means terrorism is on the rise is difficult to discern. The death of Taliban leader Mansoor could mean progress, and U.S. and Afghan drone strikes have seen terrorists and financiers of ISIS, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and other Islamic State extremists and jihadists killed in the course of the war on terror. Air crash investigators are still asking if the cause of the tragic EgyptAir crash was terrorism as new data comes to light suggesting an internal explosion on flight MS804— a possible suicide bombing characteristic of jihadist terrorism and Taliban or ISIS attacks.

With Islamic State threats of attacks in India during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan made earlier today in an audio message, the world wants to know: does recent news of ISIS, the Taliban and EgyptAir mean terrorism is on the rise? Or does the death of Taliban leader Mansoor mean progress for the west in the war on terror?

ISIS And Taliban Deaths: Taliban Leader Mullah Mansoor KilledCBC News reported this morning that Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor has been killed, having been targeted by Afghan and U.S. forces for Islamic extremist tendencies and his role in orchestrating and intensifying terrorist activities in Afghanistan. Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah confirmed Mansoor’s death live on television.“Abdullah said Mansour’s death would have a positive impact on attempts to bring peace to Afghanistan, where the Taliban have been waging an insurgency for 15 years,” said CBC News.

Mullah Mansoor, who took over as Taliban leader last year, intensified ISIS and Taliban related terror activities before being killed yesterday. [Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP]“Mansour was ‘the main figure preventing the Taliban joining the peace process,’ Abdullah said. ‘From the day he took over the Taliban following the death of Mullah Omar, he intensified violence against ordinary citizens, especially in Afghanistan’.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Mullah Akhtar Mansour posed a ''continuing imminent threat'' to U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said the likely death of Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour will undermine their ability carrying out future attacks in Afghanistan.

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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?? The new “Amir-ul-Momineen”?? What If??FBI Web: SIRAJUDDIN HAQQANI

Multimedia: Images Aliases: Siraj, Khalifa, Mohammad Siraj, Sarajadin, Cirodjiddin, Seraj, Arkani, Khalifa (Boss) Shahib, Halifa, Ahmed Zia, Sirajuddin Jallaloudine Haqqani, Siraj Haqqani, Serajuddin Haqani, Siraj Haqani, Saraj Haqani

Remarks:

Haqqani is thought to stay in Pakistan, specifically the Miram Shah, North Waziristan, Pakistan, area. He is reportedly a senior leader of the Haqqani network, and maintains close ties to the Taliban and al Qaeda. Haqqani is a specially designated global terrorist.

DETAILS Sirajuddin Haqqani is wanted for questioning in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed six people, including an American citizen. He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Haqqani also allegedly was inolved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008.

LWJ July 31, 2015 According to the Taliban, Mansour’s top deputies are Moulavi Haibatullah Akhunzada, a “religious scholar” who previously headed the Taliban’s judiciary branch, and Sirajuddin (Siraj) Haqqani, the son of the “renowned jihadi and scholarly figure” Jalaluddin Haqqani. Mansour and Siraj Haqqani are both allied with al Qaeda. Mansour recently described al Qaeda’s leaders as the “heroes of the current jihadist era.”

Siraj’s dossier is filled with ties to al Qaeda. Osama bin Laden’s files underscore al Qaeda’s close relationship with Siraj HaqqaniSiraj Haqqani’s tight working relationship with al Qaeda has been reported by multiple sources. But files recovered in Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound reveal the depth of the collusion.In a memorandum to bin Laden dated June 19, 2010, Atiyah Abd al Rahman described al Qaeda’s paramilitary presence in Afghanistan. [See LWJ report, Osama Bin Laden’s Files: ‘Very strong military activity in Afghanistan.’] “We have very strong military activity in Afghanistan, many special operations, and the Americans and NATO are being hit hard,” Rahman wrote. Rahman, who was al Qaeda’s general manager at the time, made a point to highlight al Qaeda’s ongoing cooperation with Siraj.“The last special operation we participated in,” Rahman explained, “was (the Bagram operation), in summary: We cooperated with Siraj Haqqani and another commander down there (Kabul/Bagram).” The plan was to “sneak into the Bagram base with the infiltrators unit wearing explosives vests, a good amount of Kalashnikov ammunition, some with

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Beka [PK machine gun, called BKC in Arabic], and some with R.P.G.” Rahman claimed the attack as a success.The joint operation with Siraj described in Rahman’s memo is the May 19, 2010 suicide assault at Bagram Air Base in the central and normally peaceful province of Parwan.Rahman mentioned Siraj again in a July 2010 memo describing complex negotiations involving al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban, the brother of Pakistan’s current prime minister, and Pakistan’s intelligence service. [See LWJ report, Osama bin Laden’s Files: The Pakistani government wanted to negotiate.]“We let slip (through Siraj Haqqani, with the help of the brothers in Mas’ud and others; through their communications) information indicating that al Qaeda and Tahreek-i-Taliban [the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan] have big, earth shaking operations in Pakistan, but that their leaders had halted those operations in an attempt to calm things down and relieve the American pressure,” Rahman wrote to bin Laden.“But if Pakistan does any harm to the Mujahidin in Waziristan, the operations will go forward, including enormous operations ready in the heart of the country,” Rahman continued. This is the message al Qaeda “leaked out through several outlets,” including Siraj. In response, “they, the [Pakistani] intelligence people…started reaching out to” al Qaeda through Pakistani jihadist groups they “approve of.” Rahman, who was subsequently killed in an August 2011 drone strike, goes on to explain the meetings took place.In his role as a prominent jihadist leader, Siraj has sat at the nexus of the Taliban, al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network. Both he and his father are ideologues who worked with Sheikh Issa al Masri, an influential al Qaeda thinker who helped radicalize thousands of jihadists by indoctrinating them with al Qaeda’s version of Islam.Siraj has served as the operational commander of the Haqqani Network, as well as the leader of the Miramshah Regional Military Shura, one of the Afghan Taliban’s four regional military commands. The Haqqani Network operates primarily in the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia, and Paktika, and also has a presence in several other provinces.In October 2007, the US military identified Siraj as a growing threat when it issued a press release describing his importance to the Taliban. The US military offered a reward of $200,000 for information leading to Siraj’s capture. In March 2008, the US State Department listed him as a specially designated global terrorist. In March 2009, State upped the US military’s ante and offered a bounty of $5 million for information on Siraj’s whereabouts.Since Siraj’s designation by the US government in 2008, 12 additional senior Haqqani Network leaders have been added to the list of global terrorists. All of them have ties to al Qaeda. [See LWJ report, US adds 3 senior Haqqani Network leaders to terrorism list.]US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal that Siraj is a member of al Qaeda’s Shura Majlis, or top council, and has actively recruited foreign terrorists to serve in the Haqqani Network. His “extended reach brings foreign fighters from places like Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Chechnya, Turkey and Middle Eastern countries into Afghanistan,” Major Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the US military, said in October 2007.The US military and the the CIA have targeted Siraj in numerous raids, conventional airstrikes, and drone strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan since identifying him as a major threat. Several senior Haqqani Network leaders, including one Siraj’s brothers, Badruddin, have been killed in CIA drone strikes in Pakistan. Additionally, some of al Qaeda’s top leaders, such as Abu Laith al Libi, were killed in strikes in areas under Haqqani Network control.Indeed, the US drone campaign has focused heavily on Haqqani-controlled turf in northern

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Pakistan. Multiple al Qaeda plots against the West have been traced to the Haqqani Network’s territory.Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of The Long War Journal. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for The Long War Journal.

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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