Essay on The Haqqani Network: Terrorists or Insurgents

The Taliban have four basic goals that they also view as phases. First is to utilize the devout religious commitment found in Afghanistan and Pakistan to mobilize the public. Second is to rally the Pashtun tribes through the Pashtunwali code of honor, which a Pashtun must adhere to in order to maintain his honor and identity as a Pashtun. This code includes many important facets including Nang (honor), Badal (revenge), Melmastia (hospitality), Nanawatay (to seek forgiveness), and Hamsaya (one who shares the same shadow) (30). The Taliban also hopes to further their longtime goal of toppling Kabul by “emphasizing the Pashtuns’ subjugation by a predominantly non-Pashtun government” (??) Thirdly, they hope to “build up confidence in their organization while simultaneously attacking the legitimacy of the IROA, coalition forces, and the Government of Pakistan.” (57) Lastly, “once the Western ‘crusaders’ are expelled by military means or withdraw due to

The government’s response to the September 11, 2001 events was quick and decisive. Government officials attributed responsibility for the attack to Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda organization. One result was an announced policy shift from deterrence to preemption, generally referred to as the “Bush Doctrine.” (National Security Strategy, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss.html].) Given the potential consequences of terrorist attacks employing weapons of mass destruction, government decision makers felt that the nation could not afford to sit back, wait for attacks to occur, and then respond. The nation was mobilized; combating terrorism and crippling Al Qaeda became top national priorities. The use of military force against different terrorist groups and infrastructure gained increasing acceptance in Government policy circles. In addition, a February 14, 2003, National Strategy for Combating Terrorism [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030214-7.html] gave more emphasis to the role of international cooperation, law enforcement and economic development in countering terrorism.

Muhammad Khalil al-Hukaymah is the organizations presumed founder (Winter, 2011, p. 886). Considered a “raising star” in the jihadi movement, al-Hukaymah was designated as Al-Qaeda’s chief propagandist from 2006-2008 (Winter, 2011, p. 886). Fitting the profile of many ranking al-Qaeda leaders, he traveled extensively through Afghanistan and Pakistan in the late 1990’s until the fall of the Taliban in 2002 (Winter, 2011, p. 886). He fled to Pakistan via Iran where he

The Haqqani Network are a group of fundamentalist Islamic islamic insurgents fighting US led NATO forces and the Afghan government using guerrilla tactics while also performing attacks against Afghanistan. Omar Wazir claims that a 2011 West Point Study recognizes that the Haqqani are functioning with Al Qaeda. Jalaluddin, the leader of the Haqqani Network supported Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda until being assassinated in 2011, by allowing him to train his followers in Haqqani territory. This allowed both organizations to expand their power. Haqqani also managed to form a tie with the Taliban, a terrorist Sunni Fundamentalist Organization in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Al-Qaeda is an Arabic term that means “the base” and arguably one of the most dangerous Islamic terrorist organisation in the world.. It was formed by Saudi millionaire Osama Bin Laden in the late 1980’s to resist the Soviet Union, which occurred from 1979 to 1989.The Al-Qaeda group is a large and very complex network which involves many countries and radical Sunni Muslim Organization. Afghanistan became ungoverned for 7 years soon after the Soviet Union withdrew during which the country experienced constant fighting among different groups just within their jurisdiction. This resulted into poverty and many children being orphaned. Most of the Orphans were educated in Islamic schools resulting to the growth of radical students and followers of what became to be known as Al-Qaeda.

There were many failures experienced by al Qaeda. Some of these failures were caused by the leadership. However, there were also some failures that the leadership could not control.

The Taliban are a group who were once perceived as heroes, by those who now label them as ‘villains’. The Taliban, whose name is

The Central Intelligence Agency defines terrorism as “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents” (CIA). This term was specifically created to differentiate terrorism between other acts of violence. These doings of terrorism are not just any act but are specific acts of violence. A dominant reason behind terrorism tends to fall upon religious beliefs and culture ties.

Therefore, the fact that ISIL has become very active in the context of civil war could be a strong indicator of its affiliation to AQ. This, as Robbins (2014) argues, is because civil wars can be said to be better and more reliable predictors of AQ affiliated groups than mere affiliation. This further means that the civil wars in Syria and Iraq could be better used to determine which groups taking part are AQ-affiliated than the mere fact that the groups have been known to be affiliated. It means that being known as an AQ affiliate does not matter much in determining the true affiliation of a group to AQ as does the group’s participation in civil wars (Robbins, 2014). ISIL emerged as very strong terrorist group within the context of the Iraqi civil war and has continued to show its lethality in the civil war in Syria (Laub and Masters, 2014). These two civil wars could be used, therefore, to better determine whether or not ISIL is actually an AQ affiliate. Determining this would in turn help in ascertaining the level of threat posed by AQ.

The U.S. State Department is guided by the definition of terrorism contained in Title 22 of the US Code, Section 2656f(d), which states that terrorism is a “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience” (Maniscalco, Christen, 2011).

Throughout history, various terrorist groups have targeted the United States, endeavoring to prove its power and capabilities. Al-Qaeda, a terrorist group, run by Osama Bin Laden, is an explicit example of this. This group’s actions during the early 21st century has changed the lives of American’s forever. On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacked the twin towers and World Trade Center, whilst attempted to attack the White House. This act of terrorism killed thousands of innocent civilians, no matter age, gender or race. Al-Qaeda’s main goal is to diffuse fear throughout the world. As time continues, the amount of terrorism within the world is increasing. An increase of terrorism activity is due to the increased amount of state support for it.

There are seven forms of transnational criminality, Illicit drug trafficking, Money laundering, Infiltration of legal business, Computer crime, Illicit arms trafficking, Traffic in persons, and Destruction of cultural property (Adler, “et.al”, 2013) . Illicit drug trafficking is an extremely lucrative endeavor creating billions of dollars in benefit that terrorist organizations can without much of a stretch take advantage of. The links between international terrorist organizations and drug trafficking differs incredibly from organization to organization (Clarke, 2016). Terrorists entail cash for their operations. The drug trade gives simple access to vast assets. The Taliban have supported their terrorist undertakings activities from the boundless

Al-Qaeda's goal is to overthrow regimes it considers "non-Islamic" and expel Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries. Al-Qaeda believes it’s the duty of Muslims to kill US citizens both civilian and military and our allies. After Al-Qaeda’s September 11, 2001, attacks on America, the United States launched a war in Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaeda’s bases there and overthrow the Taliban. I have firsthand experience fighting terrorism. I was stationed in Afghanistan in 2008. I served on the front lines of the war against terror in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. I travelled to remote parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan searching for terror suspects. I feel proud to know that I made a difference by taking down members of the Taliban. Additional Al-Qaeda’s goals and objectives are as follows: establishing the rule of God on earth, attaining martyrdom in the cause of God and the purification of the ranks of Islam from the elements of depravity.

Taliban - the world's most extreme and radical Islamic organization that inspires fascination, controversy, and especially fear in both the Muslim world and the West - has been brought into sharp focus in Ahmed Rashid's book "Taliban". This enormously insightful book gives an account of Taliban's rise to power, its impact on Afghanistan and the Central Asian region. The book also analyzes the wider regional and geopolitical implications of the Taliban's advent to power and the role that Taliban has to play in oil and gas companies decisions. The author also discusses about the changing attitudes of various countries like America and Saudi Arabia towards Taliban and its effects on Afghanistan.

The irony of American involvement in the Middle East in the name of counterterrorism was not lost on many. Al-Qaeda was founded in the wake of Afghanistan’s 1978 Saur Revolution (Quiggin), in which King Zahir Shah was deposed by his cousin and prime minister Daoud Khan. The Soviet