The reward of $10 million for information leading to the arrest of a major Taliban leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, has been withdrawn by the United States, as announced by a spokesperson from the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Although the FBI still displays the reward on its website, stating that Haqqani was involved in coordinating and participating in cross-border attacks against US and coalition forces in Afghanistan.
This decision comes after the Taliban released a US citizen, George Glezmann, who had been held captive for two years.
Glezmann, who was abducted while touring Afghanistan in December 2022, is the third US detainee released by the Taliban since January.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement, described Glezmann’s release as a positive step and expressed gratitude to Qatar for its crucial role in securing his release.
The Taliban has referred to the release of US detainees as part of its global normalization efforts.
Despite the Taliban’s lightning takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the group remains internationally isolated. No country has officially recognized the Taliban government, but several nations maintain diplomatic facilities in the country.
The Taliban’s takeover occurred as the Biden administration oversaw a withdrawal plan outlined by the Trump administration. The deal negotiated with the Taliban in 2020 by former President Trump aimed to end the war in Afghanistan, setting a 14-month deadline to withdraw US troops and allied forces.
Controversially, the agreement excluded the Western-backed Afghan government, which collapsed during the chaotic US departure from the country in 2021.
Haqqani, son of a renowned commander from the Soviet-era war, led the powerful Haqqani Network, labeled a terrorist group by the US and considered one of the most dangerous armed groups in Afghanistan.
The network is known for its use of suicide bombers and is implicated in orchestrating numerous high-profile attacks in Kabul over the years.
Additionally, the network is accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding Western citizens for ransom, such as US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was released in 2014.
Despite the Taliban’s control, Haqqani remained on the US’s watchlist. In 2022, a US drone strike in Kabul targeted then-al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The strike hit a residence where Haqqani was believed to be staying, according to US officials.
