Amin ul-Haq, a senior al-Qaeda leader and former close aide to Osama bin Laden, has been arrested by Pakistani police.
Haq, who has been associated with bin Laden since 1996, is considered one of the top figures within the extremist group and has been involved in several terrorist activities.
He was responsible for coordinating security for the deceased al-Qaeda chief and has been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations.
After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Haq returned to the country where he was warmly welcomed. Also known as Mohammad Amin-ul Haq Saam Khan, he hails from Nangarhar province and has played a key role in providing financial and property support to the al-Qaeda network. He was previously arrested by Pakistan in 2007 and released in 2011.
The United Nations Security Council has listed al-Haq as a designated terrorist since January 25, 2001. In 2011, U.S. troops conducted a raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, resulting in bin Laden’s death.
Mohammad Radmanish, a military analyst, described al-Haq as “the former assistant of Osama bin Laden and the commander of the Black Unit of the Al Qaeda network.” Photos of his visit to Afghanistan show him being warmly welcomed by the Taliban and meeting with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e Islami.
Security analyst Bismillah Taban highlighted the deep and strategic relationship between al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, noting al-Haq’s significant role in unifying members of the network. A recent United Nations report indicated that al-Qaeda, in coordination with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, has established new camps in Nangarhar, Kandahar, and Takhar provinces. An earlier UN Security Council report mentioned that Al Qaeda had set up training camps in nine Afghan provinces, including Ghazni, Parwan, Laghman, Urozgan, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Badghis, and Kunar.
In July 2022, a U.S. drone strike targeted and killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the co-founder and leader of Al Qaeda, in Kabul’s Shiropor area. A voice recording of the current al-Qaeda leader recently leaked to the media, urging fighters to return to Afghanistan.
