Reward Offers for Information on Haqqani Network Leaders

Rewards for Justice - Reward Offers for Information on Haqqani Network Leaders

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
August 20, 2014

The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice program is offering new rewards for information on four key leaders of the Haqqani Network (HQN) terrorist organization and is increasing a previously announced reward offer for information on another leader of the group. The Department has authorized rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the location of Aziz Haqqani, Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, Yahya Haqqani, and Abdul Rauf Zakir. The Department also has increased its previous reward offer of up to $5 million for information on the group’s leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, to up to $10 million.

HQN was formed in the late 1970s by Jalaluddin Haqqani. The group is allied with al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban and cooperates with other terrorist organizations in the region. Based primarily in North Waziristan, Pakistan, HQN conducts cross-border attacks in eastern Afghanistan and Kabul and is considered the most lethal insurgent group targeting International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan personnel in Afghanistan. The Haqqani Network is responsible for many high-profile attacks in Afghanistan, including the 19-hour attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the nearby ISAF headquarters in September 2011. The Secretary of State designated the HQN as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on September 7, 2012.

Sirajuddin Haqqani is the son of HQN founder Jalaluddin and currently leads the organization. He has admitted planning the January 2008 attack on Kabul’s Serena Hotel that killed U.S. citizen Thor David Hesla and five other people. The Department of State designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 in March 2008.

Aziz Haqqani is Sirajuddin’s brother and is involved in logistical operations and command decisions involving cross-border attacks on ISAF and Afghan forces. He also plays a key role in HQN’s operations in Kabul and in major attacks throughout Afghanistan.

Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, Sirajuddin’s uncle, is a senior HQN member who has raised funds for the Taliban and who has been linked to al-Qaida terrorist operations. He also has overseen the detention of hostages captured by HQN and Taliban fighters. The Department of the Treasury designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on February 9, 2011.

Yahya Haqqani, Sirajuddin’s brother-in-law, has been closely involved in the group’s operational, financial, and propaganda activities, and has served as de-facto leader when other senior-most HQN leaders were absent. He has delivered funds to HQN commanders and al-Qaida members. He has also served as HQN’s primary liaison with foreign terrorists fighting in the region. The Department of the Treasury designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on February 5, 2014.

Abdul Rauf Zakir is HQN’s chief of suicide operations and its operational commander for Kabul Province and the northern provinces of Takhar, Kunduz, and Baghlan. He also oversees HQN’s weapons training program, whose trainees killed 16 Afghans, including six children, in the September 2011 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. The Department of State designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 on November 5, 2012.More information about these individuals is located on the Rewards for Justice website at www.rewardsforjustice.net. We encourage anyone with information on these individuals to contact the Rewards for Justice office via the website, e-mail (info@rewardsforjustice.net), phone (1-800-877-3927), or mail (Rewards for Justice, Washington, D.C., 20520-0303, USA). Individuals in Afghanistan may call the RFJ tip line at 0700 108 600. All information will be kept strictly confidential. The Rewards for Justice program is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid in excess of $125 million to more than 80 people who provided actionable information that put terrorists behind bars or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Rewards4Justice.

ENDS

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