Anas Haqqani
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sirajuddin Haqqani (brother)
Abdulaziz Haqqani (brother)
- Jalaluddin Haqqani (father)
Anas Haqqani | |
|---|---|
| انس حقانی | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1994 (age 31–32) |
| Party | Taliban |
| Relations | Khalil Haqqani (uncle) Sirajuddin Haqqani (brother) Abdulaziz Haqqani (brother) |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Darul Uloom Haqqania, Pakistan |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan |
| Branch/service | Haqqani network |
Anas Haqqani (Pashto: انس حقانی [aˈnas haqɑˈni]; born c. 1994) is an Afghan politician and military leader, who is a senior leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and within the Taliban movement, and was also a member of the Taliban's negotiation team in its political office in Doha, Qatar.
He is the son of fighter and warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, who fought both the Soviets and the Americans, and a brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, now the Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan .[1][2]
He has an interest in Pashto poetry, himself being a poet.[3]
American commentator Bill Roggio says he is a "key propagandist, fundraiser and ambassador for the Haqqanis", mainly in the Arab world.[4]
Anas is a son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, a Pashtun mujahid and military leader of pro-Taliban forces in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Through his Pashtun mother, his only surviving brothers are Sirajuddin Haqqani and Abdulaziz Haqqani, while his father’s second wife is an Arab from the UAE whose children live with her in her home country.[5]
Anas studied in a local school in North Waziristan, Pakistan, until the 10th grade, while also being homeschooled by his father in Islamic studies.[3]
He later did some short-term courses in English, Economics, Politics and Computer Science but had to stop his higher education when he was captured by the Americans.[6]
Detention
Anas was detained in Bahrain on 12 November 2014,[3] at the age of 20, when he was legally returning from visiting releasees from Guantanamo Bay detention camp at the Taliban's political office in Doha, Qatar. American soldiers arrested him and took him back to Qatar.[7][3]
After a day of interrogation, Anas was transferred to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan and held for nine months at the headquarters of the government intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security. He was then imprisoned at Bagram prison. Anas said that he was detained to try to get the Taliban to hold peace talks with the Afghan government, when the Taliban wanted to negotiate with the US instead. He was twice sentenced to death while in prison.[3]
In defense of Anas, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said he was a student and had nothing to do with the militancy.[7] He was released on 18 November 2019 in a prisoner exchange.[3]