'He smashed the idol of Somnath': Taliban leader Anas Haqqani praises Mahmud Ghaznavi

Anas Haqqani, the Taliban's leader, on Tuesday paid a visit to the mausoleum of Mahmud Ghaznavi, the conqueror who stormed Gujarat's famous Somnath Temple in the 11th century and lauded him as a "great Muslim fighter." 

On Twitter, he praised Ghaznavi, who had previously attacked Gujarat, plundered the Somnath temple, and broken its jyotirlinga (idol).

The tweet has enraged Indians, resulting in a backlash.

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"Today, we visited the shrine of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, a renowned Muslim warrior & Mujahid of the 10th century. Ghaznavi (May the mercy of Allah be upon him) established a strong Muslim rule in the region from Ghazni & smashed the idol of Somnath, tweeted Haqqani.

From 998 until 1030, Mahmud Ghaznavi was the first independent king of the Turkic dynasty of the Ghaznavids.

His empire stretched from northern Iran to the Indian subcontinent's Punjab, Transoxiana's Khwarazm, and Makran. 

Ghaznavi is believed to have attacked and looted the wealthiest cities and temple towns in mediaeval India, such as Mathura and Somnath, seventeen times.

In 1025, Mahmud Ghaznavi raided Gujarat, plundering and destroying the Somnath temple.

Lord Shiva is the temple's main deity.

He utilised the wealth to expand his Ghazni capital. 

Ghaznavi targeted Hindu temples primarily because they were the Hindus' wealth, economics, and ideological centres. 

(With inputs from agencies)