Taliban appoints leader of a network of suicide bombers as deputy intel chief in Afghanistan

Image Credit: Al Bawaba

Taliban appointed Taj Mir Jawad, a known leader of a network of suicide bombers, to serve as a deputy under the new intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Taj Mir Jawad is believed to be an inner member of the Jihadist group and also a high level operative in the Haqqani Network, the group notoriously infamous for suicide bombings. It is believed that Taj Mir Jawad and his network of suicide bombers carried out the attack on the Inter Continental hotel, Kabul on June 28, 2011. This network of suicide bombers, also known as Kabul Attack Network was responsible for series of such attacks executed in Kabul over the years.

According to a Bill Roggio’s 2013 report in the FDD’s Long War Journal, “The Kabul Attack Network operates in the capital and in the surrounding provinces of Wardak, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kapisa, Khost, Paktia, and Paktika. It has executed numerous high-profile attacks in the capital over the years. Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the Hizb-i-Islami Gulbuddin also participate in operations directed by the Kabul Attack network.”

Bill Roggio’s report also mentioned that Jawad was running a Haqqani Network subgroup, that was named after him and jointly led the Kabul Attack Network along with Taliban Commander Dawood (or Daud).

Jawad is also criticized for monitoring the Al-Hamza Martyrdom Brigade, a training ground for suicide bombers which allegedly had trained the bomber that killed the police chief named Abdul Raziq Achakzai.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, another senior leader of the Haqqani Network, has been appointed the Interior Minister in the caretaker Taliban government in Afghanistan. He is on the FBI’s most wanted list. There are several others in the government who are on the list of UN designated terrorists.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia