KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The Haqqani Network isn't linked to Pakistan's spy agency nor was it involved in the killing of the head of the Afghan peace council, its leader told the BBC.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, one of the leaders of the violent Afghan insurgent group, which U.S. officials say is linked to Pakistan's spy agency, gave an audio response to questions from the BBC, the report said.
Sirajuddin, son of Haqqani Network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, reportedly has a key role in the network's operations. The network has been blamed for some of the recent attacks in Kabul, including the Sept. 20 assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who had headed the High Peace Council, which is tasked with trying to negotiate peace with the Taliban.
U.S. officials have said the Haqqani Network enjoys safe havens in Pakistan and is an asset of the Pakistani military and its spy agency, the Inter-Service Intelligence.
"We haven't killed Burhanuddin Rabbani and this has been said many times by the spokespersons of the Islamic Emirate [the Taliban's name for Afghanistan]," Sirajuddin said in the audio response to the BBC's Pashto program.
The BBC said the questions were delivered through an intermediary who brought back the audio response, which it said it understands to be genuine.
Sirajuddin also denied his network takes orders from the ISI. He also said the Americans had been in touch to persuade him to enter talks with the Afghan government.
Afghan investigators say Rabbani's suicide killer was a Pakistani and that the killing was masterminded in Quetta, Pakistan. Its officials also have said the ISI was involved, which Pakistan denies.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, in his response, admitted his group was behind the Sept. 13 "attack on the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and other attacks" in Kabul, which had been ordered by a "military council" and were not the work of individuals.
He said Western leaders' aim is not peace and that "they want to create tension among the Emirate's Mujahedin," adding "the game which is being played by the West ... is close to an end."
He urged the Pakistani government to be "careful of their Islamic values" and "understand that America will not let Pakistan live a peaceful life until it destroys all the wealth and values of it."
