Posted on 08/21/21
| News Source: i24
Haqqani network among those Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is understood to be in talks with
Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has arrived in Kabul for talks with other leaders to hammer out a new Afghan government, a Taliban official said on Saturday, almost a week after the Islamists took over the capital without resistance.
The Taliban completed their sudden advance across the country as US-led forces pulled out, coinciding with what German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday was the "breathtaking collapse" of the Afghan army.
News outlets quoted an unnamed senior Taliban official as saying that Baradar would meet "jihadi leaders and politicians for an inclusive government set-up."
Other senior Taliban leaders seen in the capital in recent days include Khalil Haqqani -- one of America's most wanted terrorists with a $5 million bounty on his head.
The Haqqani network, the country's most feared militants, have been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in recent years, claiming the lives of civilians, government officials and foreign forces.
The Taliban, who follow an ultra-hardline version of Sunni Islam, have tied to present a more moderate face since returning to power, saying they want peace, will not take revenge against old enemies and will respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law.
However, numerous reports of brutal and deadly reprisals came from Kabul and elsewhere in the country following their takeover.