KABUL, Afghanistan: The spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs has claimed that the United States has revoked bounties on three senior Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani.
Despite the announcement, the FBI still lists the reward on its website, saying Haqqani was “believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan”.
The development comes after the Taliban on Thursday released a US national who had been kept in captivity for two years.
George Glezmann was abducted while travelling as a tourist in Afghanistan in December 2022. His release marks the third time a US detainee has been freed by the Taliban since January.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Glezmann’s release represented a “positive and constructive step”. He also thanked Qatar for its “instrumental” role in securing the release.
The Taliban has previously described the release of US detainees as part of its global “normalisation” effort.
Sirajuddin Haqqani no longer appears on the State Department’s Rewards for Justice website. On Sunday, the FBI website still featured a wanted poster for him.
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told the Associated Press the US government had lifted and revoked the bounties placed on Sirajuddin Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani. “These three individuals are two brothers and one paternal cousin,” he said.
Zakir Jalaly, an Afghan Foreign Ministry official, stated that the Taliban’s release of US prisoner George Glezmann on Friday, along with the removal of bounties, indicated that both sides are “moving beyond the impacts of the wartime phase and taking positive steps to pave the way for progress” in their bilateral relations.
“The recent developments in Afghanistan-US relations are a good example of the pragmatic and realistic engagement between the two governments,” said Jalaly.
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, China has accepted one of their diplomats. Other nations have accepted Taliban representatives, like Qatar, which has been a key mediator between the US and the Taliban. US envoys have also met the Taliban officials.
Haqqani has previously questioned the Taliban’s decision-making process especially the approach to girls’ education.
