US President Donald Trump has written his first tweet of the year, accusing Pakistan of providing safe haven to terrorists. The statement signals that ties between the US and Pakistan may head from bad to worse.
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US President Donald Trump delivered harsh criticism of Pakistan Monday, accusing Islamabad of taking billions of dollars in US aid in exchange for "lies and deceit."
"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars (€29 billion) in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools," Trump wrote on Twitter. "They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!"
Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif responded: "We will respond to President Trump's tweet shortly inshallah ... Will let the world know the truth ... difference between facts & fiction."
It was unclear what triggered Trump to openly criticize a longtime US security partner in South and Central Asia in his first tweet of 2018.
The US has long accused nuclear-armed Pakistan of not doing enough to clamp down on Islamist militants such as the Taliban and Haqqani network.
The issue has led to tense relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Militant Haqqani Network - a brief history
Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani Network, has passed away after a protracted illness, the Taliban announced. Why is the Pakistan-based outfit considered one of the most feared militant groups in the region?
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Remnants of the Afghan war against Soviets
The Haqqani Network was formed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s. In 1995, the Haqqani Network allied with the Taliban and the two groups captured the Afghan capital Kabul in 1996. In 2012, the US designated the group a terrorist organization. On September 4, 2018, the Taliban announced that Jalaluddin passed away after a long illness.
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An Islamist ideologue
Jalaluddin Haqqani was born in 1939 in the Afghan province Paktia. He studied at Darul Uloom Haqqania, which was founded in 1947 by the father of one of Pakistan's most prominent religious leaders, Maulana Sami ul Haq. Darul Uloom Haqqania is known for its alleged ties with the Taliban and other extremist groups.
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Jalaluddin Haqqani as Taliban minister
Jalaluddin was made minister for Afghan tribal affairs under the Taliban rule. He remained in the post until the US toppled the Taliban regime in 2001. After the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Jalaluddin was considered the most influential militant figure in Afghanistan. Jalaluddin also had close links with the former al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.
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Where is the Haqqani Network based?
Security experts say the command center of the group is based in Miranshah city of Pakistan's North Waziristan region along the Afghan border. US and Afghan officials claim the Haqqani Network is backed by the Pakistani military, a charge denied by Pakistani authorities. Washington says the group's fighters launch attacks on foreign and local troops and civilians inside Afghanistan.
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The Haqqani heir
It is believed that Jalaluddin Haqqani died in 2015, but his group denied those reports at the time. The network is now headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, Jalaluddin's son. Sirajuddin is also the deputy chief of the Taliban.
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Who is Sirajuddin Haqqani?
Although there isn't much credible information available about Sirajuddin Haqqani, security experts say he spent his childhood in the Pakistani city of Miranshah. He studied at Darul Uloom Haqqania, situated in Peshawar's suburbs. Sirajuddin is believed to be an expert on military affairs. Some analysts say Sirajuddin's views are more hard line than his father's.
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Anas Haqqani's death sentence
One of Jalaluddin's sons is Anas Haqqani, whose mother hailed from the United Arab Emirates. He is currently in the custody of the Afghan government and is facing the death penalty. The Haqqani Network has warned Kabul of dire consequences if Afghan authorities hang Anas Haqqani.
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How big is the Haqqani Network?
Research institutes and Afghan affairs experts say the group has between three and ten thousand fighters. The network allegedly receives most of its funding from the Gulf countries. The Haqqani Network is also involved in kidnappings and extortion through which it funds its operations.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Tanveer
Ties with other militant groups
The Haqqanis have close relations with other regional and international terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba and Central Asian Islamist groups. Jalauddin Haqqani was not only close to bin Laden, but also had ties with al Qaeda's current chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.
The US National Security Strategy published in December said that the United States sought "a Pakistan that is not engaged in destabilizing behavior and a stable and self-reliant Afghanistan."
"We will press Pakistan to intensify its counterterrorism efforts since no partnership can survive a country's support for militants and terrorists who target a partner's own service members and officials," it stated. "We will insist that Pakistan take decisive action against militant and terrorist groups operating from its soil."
In August, the Trump administration said it was delaying $255 million in aid to Pakistan.
Pakistan denies that it does not do enough against terrorism and points out that it has itself suffered when militants have carried out numerous attacks in the country targeting civilians and security forces.
Trump's tweet garnered much criticism of the United States from Pakistanis on social media.
Politician and businessman Jahangir Khan Tareen of the opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said Pakistan had suffered tens of thousands of deaths at the hands of terrorism.
