Afghan Taliban announces death of Haqqani network leader

The founder of the Haqqani network, one of Afghanistan's most effective and feared militant groups, has died after a long illness, their affiliates the Afghan Taliban announced Tuesday.

Jalaluddin Haqqani, whose son Sirajuddin Haqqani now heads the brutal group and is also the Taliban's deputy leader, died "after a long battle with illness", the Taliban said in a statement.

Jalaluddin "was from among the great distinguished Jihadi personalities of this era", the Taliban said in a statement posted on Twitter.