To Bolster Support, Taliban Convenes Gathering of Hundreds of Clerics in Kabul

The Taliban convened a gathering of hundreds of its supporters who are mainly clerics, in Kabul and said that the purpose of this meet was for these clerics to declare their support for the group’s government.

The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar news agency reported on Wednesday that senior Taliban officials also participated in the gathering.

While addressing the gathering, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister, claimed that the group has established absolute security in Afghanistan. Hanafi added, "In the Islamic Emirate, all expenses of government offices are financed from the internal budget of the country."

Continuing to praise the Taliban, he claimed that during the republic era, the affairs of Afghanistan were based on personal and party interests.

So far, no country has recognised the Taliban. One of the main preconditions of the international community is the formation of an inclusive government and respect for human rights in Afghanistan.

In line with these demands, Amnesty International announced on Wednesday that 198,612 people around the world petitioned the Taliban to end human rights violations in Afghanistan.

In this petition, it has been emphasised that two years after the group’s takeover of Afghanistan, the country is on the verge of irreversible destruction.

In addition, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, addressed the gathering and said, "We must know that uniting with tyrants and enemies of the homeland and asking them for help is not in anyone's interest."

Muttaqi did not name any person or group, but his statements were made a day after the visit of Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front, to Moscow. During this trip, Massoud met Sergei Mironov, the leader of the A Just Russia Party, who is also considered an ally of Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia.

During this meeting, Sergei Mironov said that he seeks the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and extended a hand of friendship to the National Resistance Front.

However, the foreign minister of the Taliban claimed that no foreign country supports opponents of the group in Afghanistan.

Muttaqi stressed, "Afghanistan's weakness will be detrimental to everyone. It has been promised and assured in international forums that the world will not support the opponents of the current Afghan government.”

The Taliban has held similar meetings many times before to consolidate its power base and gain the support of clerics.