Former Afghan VP Accuses Taliban Of Targeting Turkic Communities

Abdul Rashid Dostum, former Vice President of Afghanistan, has sharply criticised the Taliban for what he described as discriminatory policies targeting the country’s Turkic population. He also expressed disappointment at the muted response from Turkic-speaking nations.

Speaking during a meeting with political activists in Ankara, Dostum accused the Taliban of implementing "fascist plans" by resettling Pakistani migrants in areas predominantly inhabited by Afghanistan’s Turkic communities. He condemned what he called a deliberate effort to alter the demographic composition of these regions.

Dostum also criticised the silence of Central Asian states in response to these policies, noting that aside from Türkiye, other Turkic-speaking countries have remained indifferent to the plight of Afghan Turks.

In a further allegation, the former vice president claimed that former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani harboured negative sentiments towards Turkic Afghans and that this animosity influenced his alignment with the Taliban. Dostum alleged that Ghani had held meetings with the Haqqani Network and advised them to focus on capturing Jowzjan province, Dostum’s political stronghold, believing that control of the region would be key to dominating the rest of the country, due to the population’s support for a federal system.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Dostum has lived in exile in Türkiye. Though historically a fierce opponent of the Taliban and a central figure in Afghan politics, he has maintained a relatively low public profile over the past four years. He is currently affiliated with the broader anti-Taliban political front operating in exile.