What does The New York Times' game with Sirajuddin Haqqani mean?
Author: Andrey Serenko, Director of the Center for the Study of Afghan Politics (Russia)
The scandalous publication in the American publication The New York Times dedicated to Sirajuddin Haqqani is undoubtedly a political action with several dimensions, attentive readers from among wise Afghan politicians are sure.
According to their estimates, the media game with Haqqani using The New York Times may have several addressees and levels of intrigue. Among them are the following:
1 - A pre-election signal to the American audience. The publication came out at the culmination of the US presidential election campaign and is undoubtedly connected with it. The New York Times, which works for the US Democratic Party, is trying to help Democrats deflect aggressive accusations from Republicans who accuse them of the mistake of concluding a deal with the Taliban in Doha in 2020, as well as of the shameful organization of the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in August 2021.
By demonstrating the new image of Sirajuddin Haqqani as a leader of one of the Taliban factions who is quite acceptable for cooperation with Washington, The New York Times is helping the US Democratic Party camp present an argument in defense of the Doha deal, as well as in favor of the Biden administration's course on financial and political support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
2 - A signal to Haqqani and the "moderate Taliban". The publication in The New York Times, in fact, sends an open signal to the supporters of the "moderate wing" of the Taliban and Sirajuddin Haqqani himself that Washington expects them to complete the intrigue with the overthrow of the Taliban emir, Maulavi Haibatullah Akhund. And that if this coup finally happens, the United States will cooperate with the new Taliban administration headed by Haqqani and provide it with the broadest support.
Observers recall that the Haqqani family has many decades of experience in cooperation with the US CIA. In particular, in the early 80s, Sirajuddin Haqqani's father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, was the first of the Afghan mujahideen who fought against the Soviet troops in Afghanistan to receive financial assistance from the CIA.
