Taliban Leader Orders Fighters To Avoid Ethnic & Factional Bias
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has issued new directives ordering his fighters and officials to refrain from ethnic, regional, linguistic and factional bias.
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has issued new directives ordering his fighters and officials to refrain from ethnic, regional, linguistic and factional bias.
This comes after growing criticism of the group’s internal divisions and governance practices.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Taliban’s Directorate for the Oversight and Implementation of Decrees said Akhundzada had issued 14 new decrees. According to the statement, two of the decrees specifically stress the need to strengthen mutual trust within the Taliban, while another instructs members not to interfere in one another’s affairs.
In one directive, Akhundzada said the Taliban are facing a “major test” and urged his forces to avoid what he described as arrogance, pride, self-admiration, oppression and betrayal.
The decrees come as criticism has mounted over what rights groups and observers describe as ethnic and factional practices within the Taliban. Akhundzada again instructed his followers to “strictly avoid ethnic, regional, linguistic and factional discrimination” and warned against actions that could sow distrust within the group’s ranks.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have filled many senior government posts with loyalists and close associates, while sidelining professional and technical staff from state institutions. The United Nations has repeatedly criticised what it describes as the Taliban’s ethnically driven approach to governance.
Akhundzada also warned Taliban officials against actions that could undermine internal cohesion, as reports have emerged in recent months of disputes and occasional clashes among Taliban members.
In other parts of the decrees, Akhundzada reiterated the importance of enforcing the Taliban’s policy of promoting virtue and preventing vice and urged officials not to misuse or betray public funds.
The directives were issued as Akhundzada himself faces accusations of ethnic and linguistic bias. In a report published recently, the UN secretary-general said the Taliban leader has continued to appoint and reshuffle loyalists, noting that those selected are “all men and predominantly Pashtun”.
