Pak ISI chief in Kabul to sort out fight between Taliban and Haqqani groups over govt posts

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<strong>Pakistani ISI Chief Lt General  Faiz Hameed is in Kabul with his delegation of senior army  and civilian officials to sort out the internal fights in the Taliban over the formation of the government.</strong></p>
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According to Pakistani media, ISI chief Faiz has reached Kabul on the invitation of the Taliban Shura to discuss the  future of Pakistan and Taliban security and economic ties.</p>
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Though the Taliban spokespersons have been saying that the decision on the Taliban cabinet has been approved by the Taliban chief but the group has yet to form a government.</p>
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There are serious differences among the various different factions mainly between the “original” team of the Taliban and leaders of Haqqani network.</p>
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One the one side is Mullah Baradar, the co-founder of the Taliban group and an old associate of founder Mullah Omar and Mullah Yakub, the son of Mullah Omar who thinks that he is the natural “heir” of the group. The other faction arrayed against them is Sirajuudin Haqqani, son of Jallauddin Haqqani, the founder of the powerful Haqqani network. Sirajuddin is supported by his younger brother Anas and uncle Khalil-ur-Haqqani.</p>
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The main friction is between Mullah Yakub, son of the Taliban founder Mullah Omar who thinks that he is the rightful heir to his father’s legacy and Sirajuddin Haqqani the heir of Haqqani network and the most powerful militant commander in Afghanistan.</p>
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As head of the notorious Haqqani network, the territory now under the control of his fighters includes Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i Sharif, in addition to key border crossings into northwestern Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.</p>
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Sanctioned by the United States as an international drug trafficker and an officially designated terrorist leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani is purported to have the Taliban's strongest ties to both the Al-Qaeda terrorist network and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. His brother Anas and uncle Khalil-ur- Rahman Haqqani played key roles in the fall of Kabul.</p>
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While Yakub is expected to become the defence minister, Sirajuddin is the frontrunner for the post of interior minister in the new government .</p>
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But both of them want to get their supporters and trusted kin in powerful posts in the administration as well as in the council.</p>
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ISI chief Hamid’s Kabul visit comes at a time when many experts and anti-Taliban leaders have been accusing the Pakistani army and ISI of “advising and directing” Taliban on a daily basis.</p>
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Resistance leaders Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh have said that there are many Pakistani army officials who are directing the Taliban in the battle of Panjshir.</p>
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Recently the Pakistan Interior minister had acknowledged that “top Taliban leaders were born, brought up and trained in Pakistan.”</p>
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<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/india-news/top-taliban-leaders-were-born-brought-up-and-trained-in-pakistan-says-interior-minister-sheikh-rashid-112140.html">Top Taliban leaders were born, brought up and trained in Pakistan, says interior minister Sheikh Rashid</a></strong></p>
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<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/india-news/taliban-set-to-reveal-new-government-amid-internal-power-struggle-112102.html">Taliban set to reveal new government amid internal power struggle</a></strong></p>