Local sources informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban, on Wednesday, disrupted telecommunication services in the provinces of Kandahar, Ghazni, Herat, and Mazar-e-Sharif on the day of Eid al-Fitr.
As of yet, the Taliban has not commented in this regard, but recent reports indicate that the group has intensified security measures to prevent potential untoward incidents.
Earlier, credible sources provided videos to Afghanistan International showing the Taliban erecting security barriers around the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar.
There are concerns within the Taliban about potential threats to their leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, from ISIS during Eid prayers.
The Taliban has allocated 17 mosques for Eid prayers.
Meanwhile, Mullah Shirin, the Taliban governor in Kandahar, announced the deployment of army, intelligence, special forces, and additional units to ensure security across the city and its districts.
The recent suicide bombing in Kandahar, claimed by ISIS, has heightened fears of further attacks by the group. Despite the Taliban's claims of suppressing ISIS, recent attacks in Moscow and international alerts regarding the growing threats from ISIS Khorasan have placed the Taliban on high alert.
According to statements attributed to Hibatullah Akhundzada, leader of the Taliban, he has called on the group’s suicide attackers to continue their attacks as in the past.
The Taliban leader stated that the group's suicide bombers have carried out attacks against the enemy in the past and they should now be prepared for war and to sacrifice themselves to protect the Taliban regime.
As per the Taliban's announcement, Hibatullah Akhundzada made a speech on the first day of Eid al-Fitr at the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar province.
The Taliban said that with the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, the country is now independent. However, the Taliban leader did not explain where the group's suicide bombers should continue attacks and against whom.
In an audio message attributed to Mullah Hibatullah, which the Taliban broadcast on Wednesday, he said, "When infidels were in our country, you carried out suicide attacks against them. Now, like in the past, you should conduct martyrdom operations and be prepared for war; because, they [the enemy] used mother bombs, B-52s, drones, and chemical weapons against us”.
While encouraging fighters of the group to carry out suicide attacks, the Taliban condemned the recent suicide attack in Kandahar, which was claimed by ISIS and resulted in the death of 40 individuals. ISIS, like the Taliban, claims to establish an Islamic system in Afghanistan. The military tactics of the Taliban and ISIS are similar, and both groups call their suicide attackers "martyrdom operations”.
The Taliban leader, who lives in hiding and avoids public appearances, said that the "enemy" is not idle and now, through other means such as "media and the internet," according to him, continues with propaganda and "sowing discord”.
Although he did not specifically name the Taliban's enemy, he constantly mentions the global community and United States.
He said that fighters and suicide attackers of the Taliban should not sit idle. He emphasised that the fighters and suicide bombers should "always be at war and jihad, and the Islamic system [Taliban regime] needs protection”.
The group’s leader stated that with the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan, the "Islamic system" has been established. He stressed that the Taliban's regime is faultless in the eyes of God, but "infidel countries" are trying to show Islam as "flawed”.
Hibatullah said that the group will fight until the "last breath" and defend Islam.
“We Continue Retribution, Flogging, and Amputation."
In his speech, the Taliban leader emphasised that retribution, flogging, and amputation are part of Islamic laws, and the group implements them.
Based on the audio recording of this speech, Akhundzada stated that the international community's claim that the Taliban have no laws is incorrect. He emphasised , "We have laws, and our law is Islam."
He emphasised that the Taliban are only "willing to deal within the circle of Islam. Meaning that, whatever is implementable in Islam and has been implemented during the time of Prophet Muhammad, we adhere to it and agree with the world accordingly."
The Taliban leader added, "The world wants us to abandon our religion."
Nonetheless, the group has not released any images of Mullah Hibatullah.
In the audio file attributed to him, it is emphasised that the Taliban has previously fought foreigners and continues to fight against them.
In a part of his speech addressing Taliban members, he said, "The enemy is still alive, and we must always be prepared for jihad against them”.
Referring to Western countries as "infidels" he said that their religion is "false”. He added that Islam is the "most complete religion" and stated that when the Taliban "implements Islamic law and Sharia, the world says it violates human rights. They ask, why do you amputate hands? Why do you whip women in public?"
He added that United States asks the Taliban to respect their country and its laws, including human rights, while they do not respect Islam. "When we respect your principles, you should also accept our principles and laws,” he said.
The Taliban leader stated that United States entered Afghanistan and called the Taliban "terrorists", however contrary to the US, the Taliban declared "general amnesty" after taking over the power.
He directed his message to the US, stating that following their assumption of power, the group refrained from engaging in "terrorist acts”. Instead, as per his remarks, the Taliban acted with "compassion and kindness”.
The Taliban leader also said that the world previously resorted to "attack and conspiracy" with weapons, and now, through the internet and media, it "propagates" rumours against the Taliban.
In their Eid message, the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) stressed that diplomats and employees of foreign organisations should not fear anyone.
It stated that the presence of foreign diplomats is a serious necessity for Afghanistan and they will ensure their protection.
Additionally, the Taliban's intelligence said in the message released on Wednesday, "The enemy has been defeated throughout Afghanistan and those responsible for certain attacks last year have been punished for their actions.”
It stated that, according to the Taliban leader's general amnesty decree, a "climate of brotherhood" has emerged in Afghanistan, fostering economic growth and development in the country.
Taliban’s intelligence directorate emphasised that their members have been ensuring security across Afghanistan and urged people to collaborate with them in maintaining security.
This Taliban administration warned "countries and groups" who, according to them, are inciting the population from abroad and attempting to destabilise Afghanistan. It cautioned that such entities “should learn from the past and know that even with the presence of thousands of foreign soldiers on ground, they couldn’t succeed, so now, they cannot disrupt peace and stability in the country”.
Imangali Tasmagambetov, the Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), announced that the organisation supports an Afghanistan which is free of terrorism, war, and drugs.
On Tuesday, Tasmagambetov held discussions with Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, in Moscow.
In a press release, the CSTO stated that the meeting focused on Afghanistan and its regional dynamics. Otunbayeva emphasised on the importance of international assistance, supervised by the United Nations, aimed at fostering peace, stability, and the reintegration of Afghanistan into the global community.
Further details of the discussions have not been disclosed.
This meeting has been held even though recently Russia had announced that it is reassessing the status of the Taliban on the list of terrorist groups.
Russia, along with Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, are members the CSTO, and doesn’t officially recognise the Taliban.
The Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT), led by Amrullah Saleh, has released a list of 189 senior Taliban officials, who have allegedly established "an ethnic, madrassa, and acquaintance network" within the Ministry of Defence.
According to the AGT, only one of these officials is not affiliated with the Taliban, and all of them have received education at "religious madrassas in Pakistan”.
Afghanistan International is unable to independently verify the identities and positions of these Taliban officials, as well as other information disclosed by the AGT. Nonetheless, criticisms have been directed at the Taliban for their perceived political and ethnic monopolisation, particularly within government institutions.
The AGT recently published several lists of Taliban officials in ministries on its social media platform, claiming that it reveals the Taliban's ethnically and factionally driven appointments to top government positions.
On Tuesday, it wrote that among these 189 senior officials in the Taliban's Ministry of Defence, there is only one non-Taliban member which is the head of a 400-bed army hospital.
It further stated that mullahs and clerics affiliated with the Taliban occupy a range of positions from lieutenant colonel to general, and they have all graduated from Pakistani madrassas.
According to the AGT, the "Taliban's Ministry of Defence employs over 145,000 personnel," predominantly from "Loy Kandahar, Loy Paktia, and Persian speaking Taliban members”.
Previously, Latifullah Hakimi, the head of the Taliban's Ministry of Defence’s purification commission, had claimed that the group's military forces had reached 170,000 personnel.
The Afghanistan Green Trend alleges that the Taliban has deployed 63,000 militias across nine northern provinces under the framework of defence and interior ministries as well as intelligence directorate, of which 93 percent are Pashtun.
It also claims that the Taliban have deployed 17,000 members in Panjshir province.
According to the Afghanistan Green Trend, the Taliban's defence minister is demanding the recruitment of more than 3,000 experienced military personnel from the previous government into the Ministry of Defence.
Since takeover of the power, the Taliban has appointed their own commanders and forces in government institutions. The group has conducted examinations to verify their educational levels and has provided them with educational and graduation certificates equivalent to academic degrees in Afghanistan's higher education system, for those who have graduated from religious madrassas.
Chuck Schumer, the Majority Leader of the US Senate, and Mitch McConnell, the Minority Leader, called for the release of Ryan Corbett, an American citizen, from Taliban’s custody.
They presented a resolution for Corbett's immediate release to the Senate for approval.
Corbett was detained by the Taliban in August 2022, along with his German and Afghan colleagues in northern Afghanistan.
While the exact reason for their detention remains unclear, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had previously stated, without elaborating, that their detention was due to "violations of Afghan laws”.
Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also had denounced the detention of American citizens by the Taliban as a "crime".
The Taliban has rejected United State’s request for Corbett's release. The group says that forty foreign citizens are still detained in Afghanistan.
Corbett's wife has repeatedly warned about the severity of Corbett’s health condition. According to her, he is being held in appalling conditions in an underground cell with no regular access to a bathroom, sunlight, or medical care.
In statement on Monday, Schumer stated that Corbett is being held in horrific conditions and his health is rapidly deteriorating.
He further mentioned that Corbett had traveled to Afghanistan for visa extensions and to provide stipends to the employees of his non-profit organisation. However, the Taliban detained him without providing any explanation for his detention.
The Senate Majority Leader said that he is in contact with the White House, the State Department, and other senior officials to secure Corbett's release.