Are the Taliban and the Haqqani Network ‘Separate Entities’?

No.

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On August 27, during a State Department briefing on Afghanistan, State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked if the State Department’s security “coordination” on security with the Taliban “extends to members of the Haqqani Network.” In response, Price said “no,” claiming that the “Taliban and the Haqqani network are separate entities.” 

This is a false claim. 

According to the National Defense Authorization Act of this year, Congress defines Taliban as follows: “The term ‘the Taliban’’— refers to the organization that refers to itself as the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’, that was founded by Mohammed Omar, and that is currently led by Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada; and includes subordinate organizations, such as the Haqqani Network, and any successor organization.”

Furthermore, during a CNN interview last week, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, when asked if the “U.S. is coordinating with the Haqqani Network,” said: “We’re engaging through military channels with the Taliban. The Taliban, obviously, to a considerable extent are integrated with the Haqqani Network.”

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  1. Alex DeLarge

    The state dept. said the Taliban and Haquani network were separate "entities." And TD rated this as "false" because other people have referred to them as separate -- but also "affiliated" -- entities. This is very weak.

    First, this is obviously just a silly semantic game. The TD's verdict is not based on any facts about what the two groups are, what they do, how they are funded, or how they interact. But objective reality plays no role in how journalists think. To them, reality is a post-modern "social construct" based solely on what the right people say is the truth. So journalists determine the truth by aggregating the hearsay opinions of the social constructors.

    What I would prefer is some actual, you know, facts about the history and internal politics of these two organizations. Then I could decide myself if they are really "the same."

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    1. Joe1776

      I do agree that fact checks are more like opinion checks. That has long been the case. But on this Look up just about any source you want you will see they are connected. How connected is a matter of opinion and debate. But it is still good reporting to challenge the flat out “no” claim by our state department. It is just not a fact check - but rather good journalism.

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      Logical

      Yes. An F for the junior thesis.

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  2. Avatar photo
    Victor Clairmont

    Correct.

    This is a mistake/mislead that this administration needs to stop making.

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