The has removed millions of dollars in bounties from three senior members of the Haqqani network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, who serves as the Taliban government’s interior minister.
Sirajuddin Haqqani was previously one of Washington’s top targets, with a $10 million (€9 million) reward offered for information leading to his capture.
The Haqqani network has been implicated in some of the most high-profile and deadly attacks during the US-led war in .
The names of two other members of the Haqqani network, Abdul Aziz Haqqani and Yahya Haqqani, have also been removed from the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice website.
All three individuals remain designated as Specifically Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The Haqqani network also continues to be listed as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and an SDGT entity.
A State Department spokesperson told AFP that the US “consistently reviews and refines” its reward offers as part of policy.
First US diplomatic visit to Kabul
The decision follows a visit by US hostage envoy Adam Boehler to Afghanistan last week.
This was the first visit by a high-ranking American diplomat to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Boehler’s talks with Taliban officials led to the , who had been detained in Afghanistan in 2022 during a personal visit.
In a January post on social media, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that if were not released, the US might consider reinstating or increasing reward offers on Taliban leaders.
Taliban government still unrecognized
The Taliban-led government is not officially recognized by any country. After Donald Trump took office, Afghan officials stated their intention to open a “new chapter” in .
Since retaking control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Islamist militant group has destroyed civil liberties, including imposing .
The Trump administration oversaw a 2020 peace agreement, which led to the US military withdrawal in 2021 and the end of what the Taliban refers to as a 20-year occupation.
The bounty removal is “largely symbolic,” according to US-based Afghan political analyst Abdul Wahed Faqiri.
Faqiri told AFP that this would be a way for the US to “give credit to Sirajuddin Haqqani,” who is emerging as a moderate alternative to other key leaders in the Afghan government.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse
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