An Afghan man accused of attempting to smuggle large shipments of heroin into the United States to benefit the Islamic Emirate and Haqqani Network has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.

Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf, 59, also known as Haji Abdul Sattar Barakzai, was convicted in August after a two-week jury trial, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

In June 2012. the Treasury Department sanctioned Manaf for storing or moving money for the Islamic Emirate.

Beginning in at least January 2018, Manaf attempted to import large quantities of heroin into the United States and paid the IEA and Haqqani Network to support his drug trafficking.

In August 2018, Manaf sold a 10-kilogram shipment of heroin in Afghanistan to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, believing the heroin would be transported to the United States. Manaf claimed he had paid the Islamic Emirate to facilitate the heroin’s

production and said they would guard future shipments.

Manaf also attempted to transfer thousands of dollars of narcotics proceeds through his money-remitting business to individuals he believed were Haqqani Network operatives.

The US Justice Department also said that Manaf sought to silence a witness. While awaiting trial in New York, he directed his family members in Afghanistan to kidnap and threaten a DEA source who had testified against him.

In addition to his 30-year prison sentence, Manaf was ordered to forfeit the proceeds of his crimes and will serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, attended a mourning ceremony on Saturday in honor of the martyred Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani, held in the Garda Serai district of Paktia province, according to a statement from the Deputy Prime Minister's office.

During the ceremony, Baradar offered prayers for the soul of Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani, lauding him as “a steadfast mujahid and true servant of the people."

He further expressed that the loss of Khalil Haqqani is "an irreplaceable blow to the Islamic Emirate."

Khalil Haqqani was martyred in a bombing on Wednesday at the Ministry of Refugees in Kabul.

China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, on Friday met with the head of the Department of Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Sharaf Rahimi.

Yue Xiaoyong said on X that the two sides had a very good talk on cooperation to help Afghanistan's reconstruction.

Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that during the meeting, the sides underscored the significance of fostering an open dialogue, deepening cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels, and sustaining the exchange of views and experiences to promote regional peace and sustainable development.

The consultations were held in a traditionally friendly and constructive atmosphere, with both sides expressing mutual interest in further developing bilateral relations in these areas, according to the statement.