Nasiruddin Haqqani, eldest son of the chief of the Haqqani network that has been blamed for attacks on US forces and the Indian Embassy in Kabul, has been gunned down on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital, leaders of the group said on Monday.
Nasiruddin was killed by two gunmen riding a motorcycle when he was returning home from a mosque in Barakahu area late Sunday night, the leaders said. "I can confirm that Dr Nasir has been martyred," a militant, who previously worked with the Haqqani network in North Waziristan, was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
There was no independent confirmation of the report. Islamabad Police sources denied knowledge of the incident. Pakistani Taliban sources said they had heard about the incident and were in the process of confirming it.
The militant said Nasiruddin's body had been sent to Miranshah in North Waziristan Agency on Sunday for burial. Nasiruddin, the eldest son of Haqqani network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, was involved in "dialogue-related affairs" of the group.
According to the US, he was a key financier and emissary of the dreaded network. Three more of Jalaluddin's sons have also been killed. Born in Paktika province of Afghanistan, Nasiruddin was put on the UN Security Council s sanctions list of individuals subjected to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo after the 9/11 terror attacks.
According to the sanctions list, Nasiruddin had travelled to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to raise funds for militants and operated from Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region. The Haqqani network is considered the most dangerous Taliban faction in Afghanistan.
The Haqqanis have been blamed for devastating attacks on the Afghan government, US and Nato forces and the Indian Embassy in Kabul.
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