US Removes Bounty On Taliban’s Sirajuddin Haqqani, State Department Confirms

During his visit, Khan met Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Trade Minister Nooruddin Azizi, and other senior officials. Khan reported discussing peace, security, economic cooperation, trade, and people-to-people ties with the Taliban.

The Pakistani envoy emphasised Islamabad’s commitment to ongoing engagement and mutually beneficial relations. He urged the Taliban to address security concerns to strengthen bilateral ties further.

Earlier, Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune reported that the primary issue during Khan’s talks was the activities of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Taliban reportedly admitted difficulty in controlling the TTP, particularly across border regions.

However, on Monday, Khan stated that both sides had agreed to increase high-level engagements to enhance bilateral cooperation. He added that discussions with the Taliban’s trade minister focused on improving economic exchanges, trade, and connectivity.

According to Khan, both sides agreed to maximise regional trade opportunities. Following the briefing, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar instructed officials to consolidate relations further through increased high-level exchanges and greater trade and transit cooperation.

The motive and identities of the perpetrators remain unclear, with his family asserting he had no known enemies.

Jabar Khel was abducted from his home in the Kululapushta area of Kabul on Saturday night by unknown individuals, his relatives said. His body, bearing bullet wounds to the chest, was discovered the following night in Shakardara district.

During the previous Afghan government, Jabar Khel held several roles within the Ministry of Interior, most recently serving as deputy commander of the security unit for the Kabul-Jalalabad highway. His father, General Asif Jabar Khel, a former senior official and commander of Kabul International Airport, now resides in Germany.

Originally from Qarghayi district in Laghman province, the 34-year-old officer had lived in Kabul for years. He was married with four children—two daughters and two sons, aged 13, 10, and 8. While his extended family fled Afghanistan, Jabar Khel chose to remain.

Since the Taliban’s takeover, former security personnel have faced escalating threats, with reports of killings and torture emerging across provinces like Paktika, Helmand, Nangarhar, Khost, Badakhshan, and Panjshir.

Despite Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah’s proclamation of a general amnesty for ex-security forces, local commanders have reportedly defied the order, executing and torturing numerous former officers.

Taliban intelligence has also detained several ex-personnel, some of whom have died in custody from severe torture, sources say. Human rights organisations have voiced alarm over the worsening plight of former Afghan security members.

Tens of thousands of ex-security forces have fled to neighbouring countries like Iran and Pakistan, where many grapple with dire economic conditions. Others have undertaken perilous, illegal journeys to Europe and beyond, seeking refuge from Taliban persecution.

Reports suggest that former intelligence personnel, special forces, and other Republic-era security officials remain under tight Taliban surveillance. Taliban intelligence frequently summons ex-officers on various pretexts, subjecting them to pressure and conducting house searches, according to available information.

Iranian media said they discussed Afghanistan and shared concerns between Tehran and Beijing. The Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported Xiaoyong visited Pakistan, Iran, and Qatar from March 11 to March 20. He met officials in each country.

In Iran, Xiaoyong and Takht-Ravanchi exchanged views on Afghanistan issues. ISNA noted Xiaoyong also met Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, in Pakistan.

In Qatar, he spoke with Suhail Shaheen, head of the Taliban’s political office, and Karen Decker, the US chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan, about Afghan affairs.

Habibi, a dual Afghan-American citizen, was reportedly moved ten days ago from a Kandahar prison to the Aino Mina area. The guesthouse was formerly owned by General Abdul Raziq, the late police commander of Kandahar. It is now controlled by Akhundzada and closed off to public access.

Sources said the Taliban leader once used the guesthouse for meetings but has not visited it recently. A few days ago, Akhundzada’s guards reportedly brought in two doctors, though it is unclear who they treated.

Earlier, two Taliban insiders confirmed to Afghanistan International that Habibi had been transferred to Kandahar about a year ago due to mounting pressure from the United States. These sources also noted that details of his detention are kept within the Taliban leadership and not shared widely.

A spokesperson for the US State Department, Tammy Bruce, previously expressed concern over Habibi’s health. She confirmed that the US government is actively working to secure his release, along with that of other American citizens still held in Afghanistan.

Roughly a month ago, sources said Habibi was being held in a facility known during the Republic era as the National Security Research Center. Located opposite the Aino Mina entrance, the site is now used as a private prison by the Taliban leader.

Habibi’s brother recently told Afghanistan International that US officials raised his case during their talks with the Taliban. The State Department reportedly promised to continue pushing for his release.

Last week, following a US delegation visit to Kabul, American citizen George Glezmann was released after two years in Taliban custody. Former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad later said the release was a gesture of goodwill to Donald Trump and the American people.

According to Kugelman, the US has limited goals in Afghanistan. These include securing the release of American hostages, recovering weapons, and identifying ISIS operatives. He added that lifting the bounties on key figures from the Haqqani Network could help advance these goals.

On Sunday, Kugelman posted on X that the US is avoiding broader ideological or social issues and dealing with areas under Kabul’s control.

The US State Department recently removed Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister and head of the Haqqani Network, along with Aziz Haqqani and Yahya Haqqani, from its Rewards for Justice wanted list. Previously, it had offered $10 million for information on Sirajuddin and $5 million each for Aziz and Yahya.

Sources confirmed to Afghanistan International that the bounties were lifted. However, Sirajuddin Haqqani’s name still appears on the FBI’s wanted list.

The Haqqani Network is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US. It was founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani in the late 1970s and is accused of carrying out some of the deadliest attacks during the two-decade war in Afghanistan. These include the 2011 19-hour assault on the US Embassy in Kabul and the 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel.

The removal of names from the State Department’s list coincided with a visit by a US delegation to Kabul. The group was led by Adam Boehler, US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and included former peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.

This was the first US delegation to visit Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since the US withdrawal in 2021. They met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister. It is unclear if other Taliban leaders took part in the talks.

Before the visit, the Taliban removed anti-American slogans from the walls of the US Embassy in Kabul.