US-Wanted Taliban Leader Praises Suicide Bombers, Doles Out Rewards to Heirs – By Ayaz Gul (VOA News) / Oct 19 2021
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban’s acting interior minister, listed as a global terrorist by the United States, has hosted a ceremony in Kabul to honor suicide bombers responsible for the killings of thousands of U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, who carries a $10 million U.S. bounty for any information leading to his arrest, met with families of some of the attackers at Monday’s event in an upscale hotel in the Afghan capital, Interior Ministry spokesman Qari Saeed Khosty said.
Khosty tweeted blurred images of Haqqani praying and embracing the family members of dead suicide bombers and said the minister later hailed the suicide bombers as “heroes of Islam and the country.” Haqqani has not been seen in public in recent years, including since the Taliban returned to power.
The Taliban regained control of the country in August after waging a deadly insurgency against the Western-backed Afghan government and U.S-led coalition forces for almost 20 years. The global community, however, has ignored the Islamist group’s calls for recognizing its interim government in Kabul, citing human rights and other concerns.
