Acting Interior Minister Haqqani shows face for first time

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting interior minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) and a longtime leader of the so-called Haqqani network with a US bounty on his head, has appeared in front of the media for the first time.

Haqqani, nicknamed Khalifa, made the rare public appearance during a ceremony that saw the graduation of hundreds of police officers in Kabul on Saturday.

“Since we had not appeared in front of the media, we have now openly appeared in front of the media in order to build trust. Allah Almighty bestowed on us this honor and happiness,” Haqqani said.

In his speech, Haqqani gave serious orders to the security forces over the ongoing house search operation, telling them not to harass people and reach out to the local religious scholars if they encounter any problems during the operation.

“Please be patient and do not harass people during house to house searches and seek help from local clerics in case of any problems,” Haqqani said.

He also said that the IEA was committed to the Doha agreement signed with the United States in 2020 that paved the way to a pullout of US-led international troops that culminated in late August.

Haqqani told the graduating police cadets that the world faces no threat from Afghanistan; and countries that used to spend large sums of money on war in the past can now spend it on the development of Afghanistan.

“We also assure the world that no country will be threatened from Afghanistan’s soil. We protect the lives and property of the people, and it is our responsibility,” Haqqani added.

Haqqani had never allowed himself to be filmed, and an FBI notice of a $10 million bounty on his head for alleged activities featured only a blurry image of a bearded man mostly shrouded by a blanket.

The ceremony was also addressed by Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi who said IEA was planning to have 350,000 security personnel to ensure security and defend Islamic values and Afghanistan’s territorial integrity.

“The leaders of the Islamic Emirate are committed to building a national and professional police, national and professional army and national and professional security force; we wholeheartedly support all our national facilities,” said Hanafi.

A total of 470 cadets including women graduated from Kabul Police Academy on Saturday.

The force has been trained at the center for four years in the criminal, logistical and border fields, and will be deployed in government departments according to their profession.