Haqqani network commander dies in US drone strike

A member of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network was killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region on Thursday, local media reported. Geo television reported that Jamil Haqqani was among four people killed in the strike at Dande Darpakhel, a border area along with Afghanistan in North Waziristan. Jamil was in-charge of the logistic affairs of the Haqqani network but he was not member of the Haqqani family, the report said. There was no official confirmation of Jamil’s death. Local media had earlier reported that the US spy aircraft had struck a house. Residents said they had seen US unmanned aircraft flying before and even after the strike. Residents later arrived at the site and pulled the bodies out of the rubbles. Local tribesmen said that members of the Haqqani network had been living in Dande Darpakhel area for years but all had left the region as the result of military operation in 2005. Jalaluddin Haqqani, a former Afghan Jehadi commander and father of Sirajuddin Haqqani, had established religious schools in the area during the 1979-89 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Pakistan is under US pressure to launch major operation against the Haqqani network, blamed for the last year two attacks on US embassy in Kabul and a truck bomb attack on an US military base in Maidan Wardak province. The fresh drone strike coincided with the visit to Islamabad of US envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman who met Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Sources say that Haqqani network is one of the key issues the two sides are discussing on Thursday. Allegations by top US officials that Pakistan supported the Taliban-linked Haqqani network in the last month attack on the American embassy in Kabul had caused rift in bilateral relationship. Pakistan had dismissed the charges of helping the Haqqani network in the Kabul attack as irresponsible. The US Secretary Defence Leon Panetta had threatened unilateral action against Haqqani network and other Pakistan-based extremist groups. Pakistan had rejected the threats as contrary to the spirit of cooperation in the war on terrorism. Official sources said that both sides will also ‘explore ways’ to reduce tension and to revive the peace efforts in Afghanistan. They would also discuss options how to revive the trilateral process involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US for peace efforts in Afghanistan which had been suspended after the last months’ assassination of Afghan peace envoy Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani. Afghanistan has also stopped joint peace and reconciliation efforts with Pakistan after Rabbani’s killing, blamed by Afghan officials on Afghan Taliban in Pakistan.