Role of the Haqqani Network in the Rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan: An Analysis

Haqqani Network is a well-known insurgent group active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is often described as the strongest, the deadliest and the most influential group in the overall Taliban insurgency. Throughout several decades, the group has committed violence, organised suicide attacks, assassinations, and kidnappings, with a preponderance of the Afghan security forces, government officials, and foreign organisations. By doing so, the Haqqani Network has complemented the Taliban military and ideological war against the Afghan government and the foreign forces. The Haqqani Network enjoys strong patronage of the Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Pakistani army. They provided safe havens, logistical support and strategic advice to the group in the Pakistan’s North Waziristan. The network holds its strongholds in the southeast parts of Afghanistan where there are provinces like Khost, Paktia and Paktika which are used as the bases of operations by the network. The major agenda of the Haqqani Network is to create an Islamic State in Afghanistan, whereby a strict understanding of Islamic Sharia Law would be imposed. Considering similarities between this desire and the desire of the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani Network has always been ideologically and militarily in support of the Taliban. The two groups are also interconnected, carry out activities in coordination of operations, and they support and strengthen the influence of each other in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban came to rule again in 2021, the Haqqani Network has gained substantial power in the new Taliban-led regime. The individuals who were key players in the network now hold senior offices, further establishing the network as a pillar of the Taliban's governing and security system.