General Yasin Zia, the leader of the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), has denounced Taliban's assertions of suppressing ISIS and ensuring security as deceitful, accusing them of orchestrating a "great game" with various terrorist organisations.
Zia emphasised that the Taliban leverage ISIS to achieve both domestic and international objectives.
The AFF marked the first anniversary of the death of Akmal Amir and several AFF members with an online meeting on Sunday.
During his speech, Zia contested the Taliban's claims of victory in Afghanistan and their alleged suppression of ISIS, asserting that the group collaborates with entities like ISIS Khorasan, Ansarullah Tajikistan, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement to conduct widespread operations.
Zia highlighted the Taliban’s use of Telegram channels to recruit youths into these terrorist groups, accusing them of bolstering ISIS to fulfil their strategic objectives.
He pointed to ISIS-conducted attacks in Iran, Russia, and Kandahar city, noting that the perpetrators were recruited and trained via these Telegram channels. Zia warned that future assaults would likely follow the same pattern, exploiting social media to attract and train young militants, predominantly for ISIS, with the Taliban's full awareness.
Zia refuted the Taliban’s narrative of containing ISIS, describing the situation in Afghanistan as an "intelligence trade" that could potentially expand terrorism globally.
He sharply criticised the United States for its cooperative counterterrorism efforts with the Taliban, urging the international community to recognise the Taliban as a "terrorist group" rather than a strategic ally.
In the meeting, Zia called for unity among Taliban adversaries to initiate a concentrated three-month campaign against them, describing ISIS as a tool used by the Taliban to quash internal opposition.
Questioning the Taliban's proclaimed control over Afghanistan, Zia suggested their power was not the result of military victory but rather a negotiated "deal." As a former chief of staff of the Afghan government's army, Zia, along with several politicians, established the AFF to combat the Taliban. He also touched upon the arbitrary arrests, torture, and killings of former security personnel and women under Taliban rule, praising the bravery of women and expressing regret for not recognising their potential leadership during the republic's era.
Zia underscored the urgency of military action against the Taliban, solidifying his stance against their governance and tactics.