The Taliban threatened to attack “judicial installations” if the Afghan government follows through on executing Anas Haqqani, the brother of the group’s deputy emir who is also the operational leader of the Haqqani Network.
In a video released earlier this month, the Taliban trumpeted the exchange of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five top Taliban commanders who were held at Guantanamo. The Taliban says this “achievement” was the result of its extensive operations in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
Mohammad Fazl, one of the five Taliban leaders exchanged for Bowe Bergdahl, played a key role in al Qaeda’s military preparations leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.