Intelligence officials in the US and Pakistan claim a top Haqqani Network leader may have been killed in a drone strike in Waziristan region. Badruddin Haqqani was deputy commander military operations for the Haqqani terror group based in North Waziristan.
A drone missile hit a compound which Haqqani had just left before the strike. But another fire targeted a car and he was killed on August 21. There is no official confirmation from the US or Haqqani Network. A dozen other militants of the group were killed in the attack.
If confirmed, this is a major blow to the group and it will have a long-lasting impact. A few more such successful targets can eliminate the blood-thirsty Haqqanis. From the psychological points of view, his loss is hardly tolerable and Haqqnis wouldn’t be able to organize deadly attacks against Afghan government its foreign allies.
However it is said that they may try their best to organize revengeful attacks, but such quick reactionary move does not seem much likely. Because his death definitely ended to confusion in leadership rank and it takes time to appoint a fresh figure with high capability of leadership and management as that of Badruddin. Seemingly, there is no potential figure in Haqqani family.
Meanwhile, replacing him with someone out of the family can potentially endanger the family’s traditional inherited right of heading the tribe, which is unlikely to take place in the short term.
Thus, his position may remain vacant and the network will feel his loss for a long time.
Another drone strike in Kunar killed a Pakistani Taliban leader. Mullah Dadullah’s death was confirmed both by ISAF and the Taliban. His deputy, Shakir along with a dozen other militants were also gunned down.
In recent months, Pakistani security establishment has been claiming that NATO and Afghan forces are intentionally avoiding any action against Pakistani Taliban leaders in Nuristan and Kunar. But several operations against TTP militants have eliminated their significant figures including the latest hunt of Mullah Dadullah.
It should satisfy the Pakistani military that coalition and Afghan troops will hunt down militants regardless of the fact that they are members of the TTP or Afghan Taliban. When Pakistan Army launched an operation in South Waziristan in 2009, many TTP militants fled to Nuristan and other bordering provinces.
Occasionally they made successful attempts of hit-and-run attacks on check posts of Pakistani security forces on border. Whenever Washington and Kabul would increase calls for an operation against Haqqani Network in North Waziristan, Islamabad would bring up the claim that some TTP leaders have “safe havens” in Nuristan and Kunar and ISAF should target them.
On the other hand, Pakistani officials have always denied the fact that Haqqani leaders are in Waziristan. General Kayani and civilian leadership in Islamabad say Haqqanis are an Afghan-based group. Recently when Washington consulted Islamabad on the issue of listing Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, Pakistani military establishment claimed they operate from Afghanistan. But the killing of Badruddin Haqqani in Tuesday drone strike proves the US and Afghan claims.
When the Quetta Shura or Haqqani leaders are asked about Washington and Kabul’s claims about their safe havens in Pakistan, they reject out right. Last year in September, Sirajuddin Haqqani in an interview to Rueters had claimed that they no longer have sanctuaries in Pakistan and operate from Afghanistan.
ISAF commander General John Allen still says most of the top Taliban leaders are living in Pakistan. With the preparation of the operation in North Waziristan, Pakistani military should crackdown against Taliban or ask them to leave the country.