Women At Forefront of Fight Against Religious Extremism in Iran, Afghanistan, Says Nabil

The NRF while stating that the presence of such terrorists on Afghanistan soil is a threat to regional security and stability, blamed the Taliban occupation of the country as the reason why it has now become a haven of global terrorists.

As per the NRF statement, "These leaders met Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network, and discussed their plans to make the network of foreign fighters extremely powerful in the north of the country in the next six months and to deploy 50 per cent of all foreign fighters in Central Asia."

The NRF claimed that this information has been sought through reliable sources who in turn had alerted the Front’s strategic analysis unit.

According to the sources, some of the terror group members who have been shifted include, Haji Forqan, the leader of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement; Mawlawi Ibrahim, the head of the Ansarullah Jamaat of Tajikistan; Shaikh Zakir, the head of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Abdul Haq Uighuri, the head of the Al Qaeda branch in the north of Afghanistan.

As per the information available, it has been stated that these individuals came to Kabul on Tuesday, August 20, 2022, and stayed at the Haji Afzal house in Wazir Akbar Khan on 11th Street which is owned by the Haqqani network, for three days.

The sources added that during these meetings, Abdul Haq from Haji Forqan Network and Shaikh Zakir from Islamic Movement Uzbekistan assumed the responsibility of strengthening the al-Qaeda and communicating with other branches of the group.

As per reports, more foreign fighters are now heading towards Afghanistan. Haqqani network has appointed Mawlawi Ibrahim Tajik as the person in charge of the network of foreign fighters in the north of the country. Tajik has strong connections with the Islamic State (ISIS).

There are apparent plans to work in close coordination with the Haqqani network to assist ISIS in northern Afghanistan and slowly increase its influence through Kunduz province and the border districts of Takhar and Badakhshan to the Central Asian countries, as per the sources.

NRF stated that Mawlawi Ibrahim left Kabul for Kunduz on Monday, August 22, 2022, in a private Toyota Corolla car whose driver was a trustee of the Haqqani network; while Haji Forqan and Abdulhaq Uighuri left Kabul on Sunday, August 21, 2022, for Pul-e-Khumri city, Baghlan province, and are staying at the headquarters of the Taliban Intelligence Directorate in Baghlan and Shaikh Zakir, the head of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, left Kabul for the Baharak district of Badakhshan province in a Toyota Corolla car belonging to Khalifa Mahboobe Faizabad, on Tuesday, August 23.

As per NRF, currently, Shaikh Zakir lives in the building of the former office of the National Solidarity program and is now one of the military bases of the Taliban in the Baharak district of Badakhshan province.

Forqan, Shaikh Zakir and Abdul Haq Uyghuri may lead some section of the al-Qaeda network in northern Afghanistan, the NRF added.

The Supreme Council leaders in a statement said that such interactions with the Taliban will cause them to be more defiant of the wishes of the Afghan people and global expectations.

The Supreme Council has welcomed the recent joint statement of western countries which called for an elected government as the only solution to lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The Supreme Council of National Resistance for the Salvation of Afghanistan includes many well-known Afghan politicians and leaders.

Former Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum; Tajik leader Atta Mohammad Noor; and Hazara leader Mohammad Mohaqiq are among the members of the Supreme Council.

They have warned that if the Taliban does not enter into direct and constructive negotiations, they will consider military options.

Bakhtar News Agency, media group controlled by the Taliban, reported that Hanafi in a ceremony in Kabul said that if the media work “within the framework of the Islamic Emirate (Taliban)”, then, the group has no problem with them.

The Taliban began imposing restrictions and censorship on media outlets and professionals, since they seized Kabul on August 15, 2021.

Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in a decree had ordered women TV presenters to wear a face mask while on air.

Also, the group does not allow media outlets to broadcast music and programmes wherein women don’t observe the hijab-rule based on their rules.

Currently, media organisations aren’t able to publish or broadcast anything objecting the Taliban members or their government, without facing reprisal.

The statement of Afghan diplomatic missions also stressed on the establishment of an elected, inclusive and accountable government, along with constitutional order.

The statement added that the Taliban have not been able to provide equal rights to Afghan citizens, especially women and girls.

On September 22, special representatives of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Great Britain, and the United States issued a joint statement with clear demands from the Taliban on human rights and governance issues.

Western officials had warned that armed conflicts will increase without the establishment of an elected government in Afghanistan.

Earlier, the Taliban had denied Abdul Qayyum Zakir getting injured.

In a Facebook post, Saleh wrote that doctors of the 400-bed hospital called off Abdul Qayyum’s surgery in Kabul due to the possible reaction of the Taliban, and this Taliban commander was transferred outside the country.

However, Saleh stressed that the details of the transfer is unknown.

Qayyum Zakir is one of the Taliban’s senior military commanders who recently had been appointed as the Taliban’s war commander in Panjshir and Andarab by Hibatullah Akhundzada, leader of the group.

Following intense clashes between the National Resistance Front (NRF) and the Taliban in Panjshir, sources told Afghanistan International that Zakir has been injured on September 12 in Dare Abdullah Khel and had been transferred to Kabul for treatment.

Despite the Taliban denying the injury of Abdul Qayyum Zakir, in the past weeks, multiple reports of his injury and even death have been published.