Afghans Support Palestine Through Action Not Words, Taliban’s Haqqani Tells Turk Scholars

The Taliban added that the visit has taken place after the official invitation of Iran's Foreign Minister.

The Taliban's foreign ministry has condemned Israel's attacks on Gaza at least twice. However, unlike the Turkish president and several Iranian and Arab politicians, Taliban officials have refrained from taking harsh positions and expressing controversial statements about Israel.

Furthermore, in contrast to Iran, Afghanistan, under the Taliban's rule, has witnessed minimal demonstrations condemning Israel's attacks on Palestinians.

In a statement last month, the Taliban's foreign ministry asked the United Nations to stop Israel's "crimes" in Gaza.

On Thursday, during a meeting with a Turkish delegation, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister, remarked that Israel seemingly did not view the Taliban's stance against the attacks on Gaza as "strong”. He emphasised that Afghans support Palestine through actions, not just words.

Nevertheless, Iran, recognised as a significant supporter of Hamas, has consistently adopted a firm position against Israel's attacks. Iranian officials have held multiple meetings with Hamas leaders during the Gaza attacks.

In this audio file, which was obtained by Afghanistan International, a Taliban member emphasises on "jihad" beyond Afghanistan.

The security source who provided this audio file to Afghanistan International said that the voice message belongs to a member of the Afghan Taliban involved in recent attacks in Pakistan.

Expanding "Jihad" Beyond Afghanistan

In the audio file, the Taliban member tells Sirajuddin Haqqani that he did not pledge allegiance to Haqqani only to stop "jihad" after establishing an Islamic regime in Kabul.

He insisted that he pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban to establish "Islamic regimes everywhere”.

In the audio file, Sirajuddin Haqqani is referred to as "Khalifa Sahib" and is told, "You are our leader, and you will remain our leader until the Day of Judgment."

This Taliban member also urges Sirajuddin Haqqani and those he calls "sacrificial” friends to "rise up and rain fire on the enemy that has invaded your hearts”. He also calls on the Taliban's Interior Minister and group members to rise up and "strengthen the ranks of martyrdom”.

The Taliban commonly use the terms "sacrificial" and "martyrdom" to refer to suicide attackers.

Disappointment and Despair from Sirajuddin Haqqani's Associates

The Taliban member in this audio file expresses dissatisfaction with Haqqani's close associates for ignoring his messages and mistreating him.

He refers to some people as "migrant friends," seemingly referring to members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The audio file states, "Naturally, migrant friends get upset by any conversation."

This Taliban member also asks Sirajuddin Haqqani to keep the "migrant friends" close if possible or bid them farewell otherwise.

The Taliban have not yet commented on the contents of this audio file.

Link between Haqqani and Suicide Bombers

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the main recipient of this audio message, is the current Taliban Interior Minister in the regime and was responsible for the Haqqani network during the group's twenty-year war against the former Afghan government.

Haqqani is responsible for one of the largest suicide bomber organisations of the Taliban. His name became famous for his role in training, equipping, and executing suicide attacks over the past twenty years.

The Taliban's Interior Minister announced in a gathering in Kandahar in March 2021, after the complete takeover of Kabul by the group, that only 1050 members of his group, the Haqqani Taliban Network, had carried out suicide attacks in the past one and a half decades.

Increasing Insecurity in Pakistan

Reports indicate that insecurity and bloody attacks in Pakistan have increased following the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan.

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of providing arms and shelter to leaders and forces of the TTP in Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials also say that members of the Afghan Taliban are involved in deadly attacks in various Pakistani cities.

In one of the most recent cases, a suicide attack in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Tuesday killed at least 23 Pakistani police officers. The Tehreek Jihad Pakistan, often considered a branch of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for this attack.

Following the attack, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry summoned the Taliban's chargé d'affaires in Islamabad and demanded the arrest of the perpetrators.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, in response to Pakistani officials attributing the event to the Taliban, said that the attack did not originate from Afghanistan and has no relation to the Taliban's rule.

Previously, Afghanistan International obtained a video showing that this attack was carried out by a person named Hasan Shakir, a member of the Afghan Taliban from Musa Qala, Helmand.

This Taliban member, in a video recorded before the attack in Dera Ismail Khan, asks his relatives not to be sad and to offer prayers of gratitude hearing the news of what he called martyrdom.

The report detailed that in October 2022, IRGC agents offered a people-smuggler $200,000 to kill Fardad Farahzad and Sima Sabet, current and former presenters of Iran International, at their residences with a kitchen knife. The plan was thwarted by the would-be assassin, who was reportedly a double agent.

ITV disclosed that initially, a car bomb was planned to detonate outside Iran International's London office in Autumn 2022. Security measures around the building led to a change in strategy, focusing instead on the targeted assassination of the presenters.

The report indicated that IRGC operatives justified the assassination plot by claiming Iran International had profoundly humiliated the Islamic Republic. The double agent shared with ITV that the IRGC's intention was to set an example for anyone aspiring to succeed the presenters at the channel.

Mohammad Reza Ansari, identified as an IRGC commander and under US sanctions, is alleged to be the primary planner of the assassination attempts. He reportedly instructed Muhammed Abd al-Razek Kanafani, linked to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to execute the plan.

Kanafani, who was overseeing the plot, initially aimed to target the directors of Iran International, but later refocused on Farahzad and Sabet. Unbeknownst to the conspirators, Farahzad had moved to Washington, leaving only Sabet in London.

The report further states that the hired individual initially worked with the IRGC in 2016, but was later recruited by a Western intelligence agency. Upon being approached by the IRGC in 2022 for the assassination plot, he informed the intelligence agency.

This individual also claimed that Kanafani promised him $200,000 and new identity documents. Kanafani allegedly sent someone to photograph the Iran International office as part of the plot.

On Wednesday, a UK court jury found Chechnya-born Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev guilty of scouting Iran International's London office for a potential terror attack. Arrested in February 2023 by London’s Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command, he was charged with collecting information useful for terrorism.

The court will announce its final verdict on Friday.

In response to the court's decision, Iran International stated that it remains undeterred by threats, vowing to continue providing independent and uncensored news.

Due to terror threats, Iran International temporarily moved its broadcast from London to Washington in February and resumed broadcasting from a new London studio in September.

The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Thursday that Haqqani discussed the directive with media professionals during a meeting in Baghlan province and stated that Afghanistan has progressed and the media should reflect this development.

Earlier in Kabul, Zia ul Haq Haqmal, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture for the Taliban, emphasised on the need for media compliance with the group's policies, stressing on "national unity and Islamic Sharia laws" in their reports.

The Taliban have implemented several restrictive measures affecting media operations in Afghanistan over the last two years.

Instances have been reported where Taliban officials pre-screen the content of media publications prior to their dissemination.

Despite these restrictions, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's spokesperson, maintains that Afghan media outlets continue to operate with freedom.

He asserts that the Taliban have treated journalists fairly in Afghanistan, noting that only those under suspicion have been detained for further enquiry.

Gasca, speaking at the UN Security Council, mentioned that several countries are concerned that these groups have found sanctuary among the Taliban.

He stated, on Wednesday, to the council that the measures the Taliban have taken against terrorist groups are still unclear.

Gasca added that the fighters of these terrorist groups pose a threat beyond Afghanistan's borders, and several member countries are worried that these terrorists have found refuge among the Taliban.

He mentioned that although the Taliban are fighting against ISIS-Khorasan, this group still has the capability to target Afghanistan and its neighbours.

He also named the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Al-Qaeda as threats to the region.

The chair of the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee further stated in his speech at the Security Council meeting that although opium cultivation in Afghanistan has decreased, the price of opium has significantly increased.

Gasca, who was discussing the UN sanctions regime, said that the primary goal of the sanctions is to prevent threats to peace and stability by blocking assets, travel bans, and arms embargoes.

He noted that the sanctions regime against the Taliban remains a useful tool, although the Taliban have repeatedly called for the lifting of these sanctions.

However, this UN official said that his group still lacks sufficient information to determine the extent to which these sanctions have influenced the Taliban's decisions.

He also spoke about the exemption of Taliban officials from sanctions during travel requests, noting that in 2023 they have recorded eight instances of such travel.

Gasca expressed concern about the "last-minute requests" for travel by Taliban officials, as some countries do not know how to properly handle these requests in a timely manner.

He said that the Monitoring Committee has called for a review of how these travel exemption requests for sanctioned Taliban officials are handled. The chair of the committee mentioned that they have not been able to reach an agreement on this matter, and the Security Council will discuss it later.