The Afghan intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said that early findings showed the Haqqani network with the assistance of Pakistan’s ISI carried out the attack in Kabul that killed at least 90 people.
The Haqqani network is an Afghan guerilla insurgent group using asymmetric warfare to fight against US-led NATO forces and the government of Afghanistan. Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani lead the group.
The Haqqani network’s root values are nationalistic. They are ideologically aligned with the Taliban, who have worked to eradicate Western influence and transform Afghanistan into a strictly sharia-following state.
The group is reportedly based in Miram Shah, a town in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in northern Pakistan where it operates base camps for conducting activities, including weapons acquisitions, training of suicide bombers and logistical planning for military operations.
The network is reportedly well-funded with support from various sources, including from wealthy Arab Gulf individuals.
In addition to its Taliban ties, the network has forged alliances with several militant groups, including al-Qaida, Tehreek-i-Taliban in Pakistan, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been accused of orchestrating a 2008 attack in India that killed 166 people.