Sirajuddin Haqqani

Sirajuddin Haqqani (Arabic: سراج الدين حقاني aliases Khalifa, and, Siraj Haqqani. born c. 1973 or 1977/78 ) is of Pashtun origin and a warlord (Dari: jang salaran ) and military leader hailing from Afghanistan, who is in armed combat against American and coalition forces, supposedly (at the last report) from a base within North Waziristan in Pakistan, from which, it is claimed, he provides shelter to (so-called) Al Qaeda operatives. Sirajuddin Haqqani is leader of the Haqqani network, a sub-set of the Taliban organisation, and scion of the Haqqani clan.

Name

Sirajuddin and Siraj

The Arabic of the English translation, Sirajuddin, is سراج الدين . According to one source, which provides the translation within Urdu, the name has the meaning lamp of the religion. The name Siraj, converted to Arabic, is سِرَاج, which similarly has the meaning of any object which produces light, or light itself, i.e. a cresset, lamp, a candle, or again, light itself, and accordingly, the sun. Siraj is a Quranic name, in that it is used four times within the holy Quran, and the word is also used to describe the prophet Mohammad.