 "The New York Times" reported in September 2011 that the Haqqanis have set up a "ministate" in Miranshah with courts, tax offices and madrassas, and that the network runs a series of front companies selling automobiles and real estate.They also receive funds from extortion, kidnappings and smuggling operations throughout eastern Afghanistan.In an interview a former Haqqani commander called the extortion "the most important source of funding for the Haqqanis."