Afghanistan: US warns Americans in Kabul: don’t go to airport

The US embassy in Kabul has warned American citizens of ‘potential security threats,’ as Taliban leaders including feared militant meet.

Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is holding talks with jihadis and terrorists to form a new government in Afghanistan. Picture: AFP

The US embassy in Kabul has told American citizens desperate to get out of Afghanistan not to go to the airport because of “potential security threats,” as senior Taliban leaders including feared militant met for talks over a new government.

“We are advising US citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a US government representative to do so,”the embassy said in a statement on its website.

The advice was issued “because of potential security threats,” the statement said although it didn’t elaborate on what those threats were. “We will contact registered U.S. citizens as the security situation changes to provide further instructions.”

The statement came as a representative from the Haqqani network, the country’s most feared militants, joined the Taliban’s top leaders in Kabul for talks on establishing a new “inclusive” government in Kabul.

Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kabul on Saturday for talks on establishing a new “inclusive” government in Afghanistan.

Other senior Taliban leaders seen in the capital in recent days include Khalil Haqqani — one of America’s most wanted terrorists with a $5 million bounty on his head.

Pro-Taliban social media feeds showed Haqqani meeting Gulbuddin Hekmatyar — a former bitter rival during the brutal civil war of the early 1990s, but still influential in Afghan politics.

Haqqani, the uncle of Taliban deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani is a leading figure in the Haqqani network, one of the most powerful groups behind the Taliban’s rise to power. On Friday he was seen leading prayers at a mosque in Kabul; he is seen as integral in the Islamists’ moves to set up a government.

Another key leader of the so-called Haqqani network -- Anas Haqqani -- was also in the capital and had met former president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who led the overall peace process for the previous administration

The Haqqanis have been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in recent years, claiming the lives of civilians, government officials and foreign forces.

Despite their reputation, they are expected to be powerful players in the new regime following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan last week.

The shadowy group was formed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who gained prominence in the 1980s as a hero of the anti-Soviet jihad. At the time, he was a valuable CIA asset as the United States and its allies such as Pakistan funnelled arms and money to the mujahideen.

During that conflict and following the Soviet withdrawal, Jalaluddin Haqqani fostered close ties with foreign jihadists -- including Osama bin Laden.

The Haqqanis have also hugely contributed to the Taliban’s fighting ranks, and are the group’s “most combat-ready forces”, UN monitors said in a June report.

The monitors also described the network as the “primary liaison” between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrives in Afghanistan on August 17. Picture: AFP.

A senior Taliban official told AFP that Mr Baradar would meet “jihadi leaders and politicians for an inclusive government set-up”.

Mr Baradar arrived in Afghanistan last Tuesday from Qatar, choosing to touch down in the country’s second-biggest city Kandahar — the Taliban’s spiritual birthplace.

Within hours of his return, the group announced its rule would be “different” this time.

The Taliban have said they want this iteration of their government to be “inclusive”, but have given few details of who it would include.

Arrested in Pakistan in 2010, Baradar was in custody until pressure from the United States saw him freed in 2018 and relocated to Qatar.

He was appointed head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, where he oversaw the signing of the agreement that led to the agreement for US forces to withdraw and end their 20-year campaign.

The Taliban scotched any hopes of a negotiated peace deal with the Afghan government by overrunning the country in under two weeks — a lightning offensive that ended with them taking Kabul unopposed last Sunday.

Who’s Who in the Taliban leadership

The inner workings and leadership of the group have long been shrouded in secrecy -- even during their rule from 1996 to 2001 -- but here is a rundown of what is known:

Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader

Haibatullah Akhundzada was appointed leader of the Taliban in a swift power transition after a US drone strike killed his predecessor, Mullah Mansour Akhtar, in 2016.

Before ascending the movement’s ranks, Akhundzada was a low-profile religious figure. He is widely believed to have been selected to serve more as a spiritual figurehead than a military commander.

After being appointed leader, Akhundzada secured a pledge of loyalty from Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who showered the cleric with praise -- calling him “the emir of the faithful”.

This helped seal his jihadi credentials with the group’s long-time allies. Akhundzada was tasked with the enormous challenge of unifying a militant movement that briefly fractured during the bitter power struggle after Akhtar’s assassination, and the revelation that the leadership had hidden the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar for years.

His public profile has largely been limited to the release of messages during Islamic holidays.

Mullah Baradar, the co-founder

Abdul Ghani Baradar was raised in Kandahar -- the birthplace of the Taliban movement.

Like most Afghans, Baradar’s life was forever altered by the Soviet invasion of the country in the late 1970s, transforming him into an insurgent.

He was believed to have fought side-by-side with the one-eyed cleric Mullah Omar.

The two would go on to found the Taliban movement in the early 1990s during the chaos and corruption of the civil war that followed the Soviet withdrawal.

After the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001 by US-led forces, Baradar is believed to have been among a small group of insurgents who approached interim leader Hamid Karzai with a potential deal that would have seen the militants recognise the new administration.

Arrested in Pakistan in 2010, Baradar was kept in custody until pressure from the United States saw him freed in 2018 and relocated to Qatar.

This is where he was appointed head of the Taliban’s political office and oversaw the signing of the troop withdrawal agreement with the United States.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Haqqani Network

The son of a famed commander from the anti-Soviet jihad, Sirajuddin Haqqani doubles as the deputy leader of the Taliban and head of the powerful Haqqani network.

The Haqqani network is a US-designated terror group long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan.

The group is infamous for its use of suicide bombers and is believed to have orchestrated some of the most high-profile attacks in Kabul over the years.

The network is also accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding kidnapped Western citizens for ransom -- including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, released in 2014.

Known for their independence, fighting acumen, and savvy business dealings, the Haqqanis operate from the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, while holding considerable sway over the Taliban’s leadership council.

Mullah Yaqoob, the scion

The son of Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar, Mullah Yaqoob heads the group’s powerful military commission, which oversaw the vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency.

Yaqoob’s father enjoyed cult-like status as the Taliban leader, and that potent lineage makes him a unifying figure in the movement.

Speculation remains, however, about Yaqoob’s exact role -- with some analysts arguing that his appointment in 2020 was merely cosmetic.

With AFP.