RASC News Agency: Several informed sources in Khost have revealed that the Haqqani Network is conducting large-scale training operations for hundreds of militants, including members of al-Qaeda and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), at a former CIA base in the province. These sources estimate that the number of militants undergoing training at this facility exceeds 2,000. According to them, Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the Haqqani Network and Taliban’s Interior Minister, routinely visits the base to oversee the operations.
Insiders report that Ahmadullah Sarhai, a close associate of Sirajuddin Haqqani, is responsible for managing the former CIA installation in Khost. The militants being trained there are not officially registered within the Taliban’s security forces, creating a layer of secrecy around their activities. Local residents have disclosed that the group includes Afghanistani Pashtuns, al-Qaeda operatives, and TTP fighters.
Sirajuddin Haqqani allegedly provides each of these fighters with a monthly salary of 19,000 kabuli rupees, though the pay for commanders is notably higher. To maintain their anonymity, the militants conceal their identities, and when they leave the base, they cover their faces to avoid detection by the public. Witnesses in Khost, who have observed these militants, noted that their appearance is strikingly similar to that of the former Khost Protection Force (KPF), a unit trained by the CIA during the previous Afghanistan government. The KPF operated in the region with direct funding and training from the United States.
According to these witnesses, the militants at this base wear military uniforms reminiscent of the KPF, cover their faces, carry American-made weapons, and travel in heavily armored Land Cruisers known as “Simorgh.” They restrict access to ordinary vehicles and enforce strict security protocols. Despite Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada having confiscated Simorgh vehicles to redistribute among his elite forces, Sirajuddin Haqqani’s men continue to utilize these vehicles. Sources further revealed that the Haqqani Network has organized a specialized suicide bomber unit, which is being housed at this former CIA base in Khost.
The Haqqani Network, under Sirajuddin Haqqani’s leadership, has become notorious for orchestrating devastating suicide bombings in Afghanistan cities and detonating vehicle-borne explosives during the Republic era. Sources indicate that Haqqani has retained this suicide squad, not only as a deterrent against potential future threats but also as part of his efforts to expand his militant ranks into a highly structured and organized force. An insider familiar with the base remarked, “With each passing day, more fighters arrive, and fresh recruits are constantly being brought in.”
Following the collapse of the previous Afghanistan government, Sirajuddin Haqqani seized control of the former Khost Protection Force base, originally established by U.S. intelligence in 2001 to counter al-Qaeda. The base was later renamed “Chapman” in memory of the first American soldier killed in Khost in 2002. In 2001, the CIA trained approximately 10,000 local residents of Khost at this base, deploying them along strategic routes between Khost, Paktia, and Paktika. These forces were armed with advanced weaponry and played a crucial role in launching deadly strikes against the Taliban. The CIA also used the base as a launching point for drone strikes targeting al-Qaeda and Taliban elements in North Waziristan.
In December 2009, Humam Khalil al-Balawi, a Jordanian-Palestinian, carried out a suicide bombing inside the CIA’s base in Khost, killing eight CIA officers and a Jordanian intelligence officer. Following the attack, a video surfaced showing Baitullah Mehsud, the deceased leader of TTP, and al-Balawi discussing the planning of the bombing. Numerous regional and international reports continue to confirm that Afghanistan, under the aegis of the Taliban and global intelligence networks, is rapidly becoming a major hub for global terrorism.
