In a major development, former Taliban commander Haji Najibullah has entered a guilty plea for charges related to hostage taking and providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death. His plea pertains to his involvement in the abduction of an American journalist and two Afghan nationals between 2008 and 2009, as well as directing attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, which claimed the lives of American soldiers.
According to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stressed the gravity of Najibullah's actions, noting that his terrorism acts "included taking hostage multiple civilians and providing material support for attacks that resulted in the deaths of brave Americans." Clayton commends the resolve of the Office and law enforcement partners to pursue and hold accountable those who target Americans through terror, irrespective of the passage of time or distance.
Haji Najibullah, now 49, was a Taliban commander in Afghanistan's Wardak Province, bordering Kabul, from 2007 through 2009. Under his command, Taliban fighters launched deadly attacks against American and NATO troops, employing suicide bombers, IEDs, and RPGs, among other weapons. One such attack on a U.S. military convoy on June 26, 2008, led by Najibullah, resulted in the death of three U.S. Army servicemen and an Afghan interpreter, with several other servicemembers injured.
During his time as a Taliban commander, Najibullah was proactive in organizing attacks and openly displaying his operations. "During the interview, Najibullah further demonstrated how to operate a rocket-propelled grenade launcher to shoot troops guarding checkpoints and boasted that fighters under his command were ready to fight the "holy war," including that they were "ready to be suicide bombers" and "put on a belt and blow themselves up if we ask them," as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The former Taliban leader faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for each of the two charges to which he has pled guilty. The sentencing will be decided by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla. The case involved cooperation among various agencies, including the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New York City Police Department, Port Authority Police, the Department of Defense, and other organizations.
