The leak happened in Green Lane, Sonning Common, Oxfordshire, as workers tried to clear a blockage in a nearby street caused by a build-up of fat, oil and grease.
It is a significant move given that the Haqqani network is accused of carrying out some of the most high-profile and deadly attacks in Afghanistan during the US-led war in the country, including attacks on the American and Indian embassies, and NATO forces.Currently, the network is a key part of the Taliban government, which has controlled Afghanistan since foreign troops withdrew from the country in 2021, following a deal struck between the US and the Taliban during President Trump's first term.
The move to lift the bounties comes weeks into President Trump's second term, and just days after US officials met with the Taliban government in Kabul to secure the release of an American tourist, detained since 2022.A US state department spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that "there is no current reward" for Sirajuddin Haqqani, his brother Abdul Aziz Haqqani and brother-in-law Yahya Haqqani, but they remain 'Specially Designated Global Terrorists and the Haqqani Network remains designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization".An FBI webpage, which on Monday showed a $10 million dollar bounty on Sirajuddin Haqqani, has now been updated to remove the reward offer.
Taliban interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told the BBC that the lifting of bounties "was a result of continued diplomatic efforts" by his government. "It is a good step and this shows our new interaction with the world and particularly with the United States. They (the US delegation) told us they want to increase positive interaction and confidence building between us," he added.On Saturday, a US delegation including hostage envoy Adam Boehler and former envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met with the Taliban government's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and other Taliban officials in Kabul. Afterwards,
detained in December 2022 while visiting Afghanistan as a tourist, was released by the Taliban government.
It is unclear if lifting the bounties was a part of the negotiations."[On] Sunday morning, we actually drove down here after all the trees had come down overnight, trying to find a route to get to the rowing club to save our boats, because we knew the flood was coming."
Many have to get into river water to secure the equipment again when water levels recede, which Mr Plant said presented a health risk."What we're left with now after the flood... is all the waste from the river that's been brought up," he said.
The River Severn in Ironbridge was given bathing status earlier in 2024, however its most recent classification by the Environment Agency rated the water as poor, and not suitable for bathing.Medics have used a novel way to design a prosthetic eye for a baby girl who had a rare form of cancer.