CSTO Member Countries Review Situation in Afghanistan

In an official statement, the AFF also mentioned that another Taliban member was wounded in this attack.

There has been no response from the Taliban to AFF's claim as yet. Typically, the Taliban refrains from commenting on assaults conducted by Afghan armed resistance groups.

Over the past two years, they have attempted to minimise the visibility and impact of their opposition forces' activities. Despite this, there have been numerous instances where the Taliban has detained individuals across various Afghan provinces, accusing them of affiliating with these resistance fronts.

Criticising the policies of the Taliban, Koofi said that if there is a shortage of oxygen, the Taliban will prohibit women from breathing.

In her speech, Koofi used the phrase "handing over power to the Taliban" and said that like 1990s, this group started self-destruction after taking power in 2021.

This well-known human rights activist pointed to the two-year Afghan women's civil rights struggles after the Taliban returned to power and said that a series of resistances against the Taliban would lead to a change in the situation.

Koofi said that the Taliban's fear of civil resistance is more than war. However, she stressed that none of the movements can achieve victory alone.

Eyewitnesses informed Afghanistan International that on Thursday afternoon in Jibrail town of Herat city, armed individuals on a motorcycle shot at Rajab Akhlaqi and Khadim Hossein Hedayati.

These two members of the Herat Shia Ulema Council hailed from the Lal and Sarjangal districts in Ghor province, as per sources.

Local Taliban authorities are yet to make a statement regarding the attack, but local reports indicate that Taliban forces converged at the crime scene following the murder of the two Shia clerics.

Till date, neither an individual nor a group has accepted responsibility for the assassination of these Herat Shia Ulema Council members.

In a related incident last month, Eid Mohammad Etimadi, another Herat Shia Ulema Council member, was also slain by armed assailants in the Injil district of the same province.

Reports suggest that Etimadi was abducted before being executed by the gunmen.

Massoud expressed concerns that the endorsement of the UN Special Coordinator for Afghanistan, Feridun Sinirlioğlu’s proposal, could exacerbate Afghanistan's situation. This plan, presented to the UN Security Council and endorsed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, suggests that international compliance and steps towards a comprehensive constitution could normalise relations with the Taliban, including a pathway for their recognition.

However, Massoud, speaking at the "Afghanistan Between Past and Future" conference, remarked that Afghanistan has become a 'Talibanistan'. He emphasised that a government which disrespects its own people is unlikely to uphold international laws or respect other nations. Massoud, a prominent anti-Taliban figure, proposed a referendum in Afghanistan to decide the country's political future, alongside elections to form a people's government, as potential solutions.

He highlighted the Taliban's historical non-compliance with agreements, except for the Doha Agreement, and warned of the perils of international recognition of the Taliban without considering Afghan public opinion, predicting further destabilisation.

Other participants at the Moscow meeting included notable figures like Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the Afghanistan People's Unity Party, Mahmoud Saiqal, former Afghan representative to the UN, Fazal Ahmed Manawi, ex-Justice Minister of Afghanistan, Zahir Agbar, Afghanistan's ambassador to Tajikistan, and numerous other distinguished personalities.

The meeting was convened by Sergey Mironov, leader of the Just Russia Party, known for its close association with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Amongst the participants was Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front.

The event also welcomed the involvement of various former Afghan government leaders and prominent Russian political figures.

The conference, entitled "Afghanistan Between Past and Future," is an endeavour of the Russian Justice Party in partnership with the country's Academy of Sciences.