UN adds 2 Haqqani Network leaders to terrorist list

Image via Wikipedia

The United Nations Security Council has added two senior Haqqani Network leaders to its list of individuals who are associated with the Taliban. One of the Haqqani Network leaders was appointed by al Qaeda to lead operations in a southeastern province in Afghanistan.
Ahmed Jan Wazir and Fazl Rabi were added to the UN list on Jan. 6 for holding senior leadership positions in the Haqqani Network. The UN designation, under UNSC resolution 1988, freezes the assets of those on the list and and imposes a travel ban on them. The two Haqqani Network leaders were added by the US Treasury Department to its list of specially designated global terrorists in June 2011, but their designation was not widely publicized.

Ahmed Jan Wazir
According to the UN, Wazir is "a key commander" in the Haqqani Network. He "acts as a deputy, advisor, and spokesperson" for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational commander of the network. Wazir has represented the Haqqani Network at the Quetta Shura, the Taliban's top leadership council. Additionally, he holds meetings for the Haqqani Network and has traveled to the Persian Gulf with other "senior Haqqani Network members."
Wazir has been instrumental in helping the Haqqani Network expand its operations from its traditional base of power in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Khost into Ghazni. He "served as a conduit between the Haqqani Network and the Taliban in Ghazni," the UN said. Ghazni is also a known hotbed of al Qaeda activity. [See LWJ report, 'Foreign trainers' active in southeastern Afghan province, for more information on al Qaeda's presence in Ghazni.]
Wazir has the support of al Qaeda fighters operating in Ghanzi. In 2008, he was named by both Taliban and al Qaeda units as a commander in the province. In that role he "has provided other Taliban commanders in Ghazni Province with money and supplies, including weapons and communications equipment."

Fazl Rabi
Rabi is a key financial official for both the Taliban and the Haqqani Network who has also aided the terror group in executing suicide attacks in Afghanistan, according to the UN.
The UN said Rabi is "a member of the Taliban's financial shura and has dispersed funds to Taliban commanders and officials." He has traveled to the Persian Gulf several times to raise funds for Jalaluddin Haqqani, the network's patriarch, and his son Siraj.
Additionally, Rabi "has coordinated the Haqqani Network's relationship with other militant groups."

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/01/un_adds_2_haqqani_ne.php#ixzz1jXPoUjsM

Related articles

• UN adds 2 Haqqani Network leaders to terrorist list (longwarjournal.org)

Posted in: Afghanistan, alqaeda, Ghazni, haqqaninetwork, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Quetta Shura, Sirajuddin Haqqani, Taliban, Wazir