A Taliban leader praised the suicide bombers at an event in Kabul for the families of those he described as martyrs.

Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, deputy leader of the Taliban He is wanted by the FBI And on the US terror list, the relatives met at a luxury hotel in Kabul on Monday.

More than 40 million in reward

Before he became Minister of the Interior, he headed Haqqani Network, a guerrilla group that for several years launched several attacks on US, allied and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, including through the use of suicide attacks.

The group has also been accused of killing senior Afghan leaders and kidnapping Western citizens for ransom – including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was released in 2014.

Sirajuddin Haqqani’s father in his time had strong ties to Osama bin Laden and ties to the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

Jalaluddin Haqqani was a veteran of the US-backed war against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

The United States promised a reward of more than 40 million kroner – 5 million US dollars – for information leading to the arrest.

And social media supporting the Taliban published pictures of Haqqani praying with families in a ballroom at the Intercontinental Hotel, promising them $125 and a plot of land.

His status as a wanted man means that photos from the event were leaked by Taliban supporters.

– Haqqani praised the jihad and the sacrifices of the martyrs, according to what the Afghan state broadcasted to the Roads and Transport Authority. He called them heroes of Islam and the country.

Share the Norwegians

In January 2018, Taliban fighters attacked the Intercontinental Hotel, where they opened fire on guests and took several hostages.

At least 18 people were killed, and one The Norwegian researcher was seriously injured.

Hotel guests tried to flee across the balcony when the attack began.

Armed men attacked the luxury hotel, chased the aliens across the floors.

Norwegian Navy fishermen provided first aid to CMI researcher Arne Strand before rescuing him from a burning hotel.

Only 17 hours after the start of the offensive, the Afghan CRU forces, with the support of the Norwegian special forces, were immediately able to take control.

None of the Norwegian soldiers were injured during the operation.

Sirajuddin Haqqani was the one who Plan and order the attack against the Serena Hotel in January 2008, when journalist Carsten Thomassen was killed and diplomat Bjorn Svenungsen was shot. Eight people were killed in the terrorist attack.

During the attack, Norwegian police withdrew the weapons and made sure then-Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was taken to safety.