In a recent interview, Al-Haj Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani, a key militant commander based in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, rejected media reports that his group of militants is not united under the leadership of Mullah Omar, the Emir of the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying that "all the mujahideen are united and are continuing jihad against the U.S. and their slaves under the leadership of Mullah Muhammad Omar."
The Haqqani network of militants, led by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who is thought to be over 60 years old, and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani, is one of the most formidable militant organizations in Afghanistan. The organization has strong connections to the Pakistani Taliban, with Jalaluddin Haqqani"s relationship with the Pakistani military dating back to the 1980s.
In the interview, Jalaluddin Haqqani notes that after eight years of war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and its allies have realized that a military approach alone cannot bring about a solution to the Afghan problem.
Demanding an "unconditional withdrawal" of foreign troops from Afghanistan, the influential militant commander adds that attempts to divide the mujahideen into extremists and moderates and holding talks with some of them will not succeed, as the "root cause" of the problem is the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.
