Nawidullah Fitrat, a teacher in Kabul, accused the Taliban in a Facebook video on Friday of using religion to pursue ethnic objectives, saying the group’s true nature had become clear to the public.
In the video, which was broadcast live on his Facebook page, Fitrat said: “This may be my last video, but I will tell the truth before I die.”
He accused the Taliban of placing a religious mask over ethnic objectives and called on the group to “remove its religious mask” and “separate religion from politics”.
Fitrat said the Taliban had left no hope for the people of Afghanistan and that opportunities had disappeared since the group returned to power.
He also accused the Taliban of contributing to killings and destruction in Afghanistan during the years of war before its return to power. He said Afghans had eventually been given an opportunity to establish a representative government and lay down their weapons, but that the Taliban, during and after the war, had been responsible for the destruction of schools, universities, bridges and other infrastructure.
He described the Doha agreement between the Taliban and the United States as a disgraceful deal and said the Taliban’s return to power had once again destroyed people’s hopes and left no path for coexistence.
Fitrat said people had reached the end of their patience and that the Taliban’s conduct had driven young people away from religion and made them unwilling to listen to the group.
Addressing young Pashtuns, he urged them to work towards ending Taliban rule and to create what he called the last opportunity for coexistence with other ethnic groups.
He accused the Taliban of disrupting the social order and imposing an authoritarian system on Afghanistan.
Addressing the Taliban directly, Fitrat said: “You did not come to save religion; religion is only a slogan, while in practice your objectives are ethnic and racial.”
In another part of his remarks, he also called on religious scholars to take a stand against the Taliban’s conduct.
The video has been widely shared on social media in recent hours. Some users have also expressed concern about Fitrat’s safety.
However, Afghanistan International cannot independently verify Fitrat’s security situation or current whereabouts, and it remains unclear where he has been since publishing the video.
Taliban officials had not commented on the allegations made in the video by the time of publication.
Abdullah Khenjani, head of the National Resistance Front’s political office, says senior commander Hasib Panjshiri, recently killed in a Taliban ambush in northern Salang, had not left Afghanistan in the past five years.
Khenjani told Afghanistan International on Friday that during this period, Hasib Panjshiri had moved through different areas on both sides of the Hindu Kush, sometimes using mountain routes for faster movement and at other times travelling on public roads.
According to him, the commander had regularly published images from mountainous areas of the Hindu Kush, which the NRF spokesman said demonstrated that he had remained inside Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed to Afghanistan International on Thursday that Hasib Panjshiri had been killed while travelling through northern Salang.
Who Was Hasib Panjshiri?
Hasib Panjshiri, the 34-year-old son of Mohammad Asif Nezami, was born in Abdara village in Anaba district of Panjshir province. He had lived for many years in the Qoway Markaz area of Kabul.
The National Resistance Front says he had no fixed residence during the past five years and operated in different parts of Afghanistan.
According to the group, Hasib Panjshiri completed secondary school and later underwent officer training with Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security. During the former republic, he served as commander of a rapid-response company within the NDS in Kabul.
His father had also served as a colonel in Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security. Hasib Panjshiri was married and had five children.
The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, led by Ahmad Massoud, is an armed opposition group fighting the Taliban and operates mainly in northern Afghanistan. The group says more than 1,000 of its fighters have been killed in clashes with the Taliban over the past five years.
No independent information has yet emerged about the details of the attack in northern Salang, the exact number of people killed or how the incident unfolded. The Taliban has also not provided verifiable details about the incident or the NRF’s claims.
A Commander Who Documented His Presence in Afghanistan
A review of Hasib Panjshiri’s activity on X shows that over the past several years he repeatedly posted images from mountainous areas of Afghanistan, saying he was in the foothills of the Hindu Kush.
Between 9 January 2023 and 6 June 2025, at least 10 photographs and videos were published on his account with captions referring to his presence in mountainous areas of the Hindu Kush.
He also appeared in several live media programmes, including an Instagram Live with Iranian documentary filmmaker Mohammad Hossein Jafarian, where he said he was inside Afghanistan. He also occasionally joined live discussions on X.
Hasib Panjshiri’s presence inside Afghanistan had previously been a matter of debate.
In late February 2023, Khoshal Sadat, a former deputy interior minister of Afghanistan, claimed during an audio discussion on X that Hasib Panjshiri was not in Afghanistan. Hasib responded by challenging him to publish a video showing his own location.
He also released video messages from mountainous areas on occasions such as Eid, saying he remained inside Afghanistan to continue fighting the Taliban.
Both during the past five years and after his death, the Taliban sought to cast doubt on his presence in Afghanistan. His supporters, however, say his death in northern Salang confirmed his claim that he had continued his resistance from inside the country.
From Fighting to His Death in Salang
Hasib Panjshiri was killed in an ambush by Taliban forces on Thursday, 20 August, while travelling through northern Salang. The Taliban and accounts close to the group later circulated images of his body on social media.
One of the videos showed degrading treatment of his body. A similar video had previously emerged showing Taliban fighters mistreating the bodies of men affiliated with Juma Khan Fateh in Darwaz.
Asked about the issue, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Afghanistan International that the fighters had become “emotional” and were not aware of their behaviour.
The circulation of the images prompted reactions on social media, with some users comparing them with Hasib Panjshiri’s treatment of Taliban prisoners.
In a video released in August 2022, Hasib Panjshiri was seen among a group of Taliban prisoners. In the footage, he gave the prisoners spending money before they were released.
At the time, the National Resistance Front said it had released 45 Taliban prisoners in Panjshir. Images from the event showed Hasib Panjshiri among those involved in their release.
‘I Fight for Afghanistan’s Freedom’
In his messages, Hasib Panjshiri said he was fighting for the freedom of Afghanistan and repeatedly stressed that “freedom requires sacrifice”.
He also supported the reopening of girls’ schools and women’s rights, describing these issues as among the reasons he continued his fight against the Taliban.
The Taliban has consistently denied the existence of a widespread armed resistance against its rule in Afghanistan, but the National Resistance Front says its forces have fought the Taliban in different parts of the country over the past several years.
The group claims it has lost more than 1,000 fighters in clashes with the Taliban during the past five years, a figure that cannot be independently verified.
According to published reports, Hasib Panjshiri had also taken part in several operations against the Taliban before his death.
On 17 June 2022, his name appeared alongside Khalid Amiri in reports about an NRF operation to shoot down a Taliban helicopter in Panjshir.
Hasib Panjshiri’s death in Salang has again raised questions about the extent to which armed Taliban opponents remain present and able to move inside Afghanistan, an issue the Taliban has consistently downplayed or denied, while armed opposition groups insist they continue to operate inside the country.
Taliban intelligence-linked media pages on Friday released a new audio recording they attributed to dissident Taliban commander Juma Khan Fateh, claiming he discussed receiving weapons and financial support with a member of the Afghanistan Freedom Front.
Hejaz News, a propaganda outlet linked to Taliban intelligence, published the recording under the headline uncovering Juma Khan Fateh contact with the Freedom Front.
The outlet claimed that the person speaking with Fateh was a senior member of the Afghanistan Freedom Front and had promised him financial and military assistance.
The Freedom Front, however, rejected the claim. A member of the group’s leadership told Afghanistan International that the conversation had no connection to the Freedom Front. He alleged that the other voice in the recording belonged to a Taliban intelligence operative.
The Freedom Front claimed that the individual had operated under the alias “Shaheen Asmayee” and had been tasked with identifying former security personnel and people linked to anti-Taliban groups.
The source described the release of the recording as “fabricated” and part of a “psychological warfare” campaign by Taliban intelligence against its opponents.
However, the authenticity of the audio and the identity of the person speaking with Fateh cannot be independently verified. It is also unclear when, where or under what circumstances the conversation was recorded.
An Attempt to Change the Narrative?
The recording was released after Fateh had insisted during his recent confrontation with the Taliban in Darwaz that he did not oppose the “Islamic Emirate” and that his main dispute was over the presence of Taliban intelligence special forces in the area.
By publishing the new audio, Hejaz News has sought to challenge that account and portray it as evidence of Fateh’s links with armed Taliban opponents.
In recent days, Taliban intelligence-linked pages have also levelled several allegations against Fateh, including extorting gold mines, drug trafficking, transferring extremist fighters, killing Taliban personnel, receiving support from foreign intelligence agencies and attempting to destabilise the region.
These allegations have not been independently verified, and it is unclear whether a formal judicial case has been opened against Fateh on the basis of the claims.
Fateh’s Whereabouts Remain Unknown
Juma Khan Fateh left his positions in Nusay district of Badakhshan on Monday, 17 August, after about a week of fighting with Taliban forces and was transferred to Faizabad following talks with Taliban army chief of staff Fasihuddin Fitrat.
Sources close to Fateh had previously said he agreed to end the fighting after receiving guarantees for his safety and that of his men. The Taliban, however, described the development as his “surrender”.
Since Fateh was transferred to Faizabad, no independent information has emerged about where he is being held or his current condition.
The release of the new audio recording, alongside the series of allegations against him, has raised the possibility that Fateh’s case could shift from an internal Taliban dispute into a security and judicial matter.
However, until independent evidence emerges regarding the authenticity of the recording, the circumstances in which it was made and the allegations against him, the claims cannot be regarded as verified.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai says Taliban recognition and legitimacy depend on meeting specific conditions, including allowing girls to return to school and women to work.
Speaking to Bloomberg on Friday, 21 August, Karzai said the international community and the United Nations had repeatedly called on the Taliban to lift restrictions imposed on women and girls.
He stressed that the Taliban must allow girls to return to school and women to resume work if it wants to gain legitimacy and international recognition.
Karzai said this was not merely his personal position, but a demand repeatedly raised by the international community and the United Nations.
Asked whether he supported beginning a process of normalising relations with the Taliban under the current circumstances, Karzai said he wanted a process in which Afghans could come together and find a solution for the country’s future, one in which all people felt included, had a sense of belonging and enjoyed their rights.
He said the goal should be to build a country in which all Afghans could live, work and make progress towards their future inside Afghanistan.
Russia is the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban administration. The international community and regional countries have set conditions for recognition, including respect for human rights, the formation of an inclusive government involving ethnic groups and women, counter-terrorism measures and compliance with international obligations.
The Taliban has rejected these demands, describing them as interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Karzai said in another part of the interview that he remained in contact with several Taliban leaders and had discussed with them the importance of girls’ education and women returning to work.
He said some Taliban officials who met him understood the importance of the issue and agreed with his position.
The former Afghan president also said that despite the ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and sweeping restrictions on women’s employment, he was not willing to send his daughters abroad to continue their education.
He added that, as an Afghan citizen, he felt responsible for working to create conditions in which girls could study inside the country.
Karzai said sending his daughters abroad for education would amount to accepting the current situation, something he said he would never do.
Afghan political figures, including Abdul Rashid Dostum, Salahuddin Rabbani, Atta Mohammad Noor, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Karim Khalili, and Sarwar Danish have reacted to the killing of senior NRF commander Hasib Panjshiri.
The Taliban said on Thursday, 20 August, that Hasib Panjshiri had been killed during what it described as a complex operation by special forces.
Karim Khalili, leader of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan mourned the death of the senior NRF commander, describing him as a symbol for many Afghans of courage, resistance, sacrifice and determination in defence of freedom, dignity and human dignity.
Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, described Hasib Panjshiri as one of the influential figures of the National Resistance Front and offered condolences to his family, comrades and supporters.
At the same time, the Afghanistan Justice and Freedom Party, led by Sarwar Danish, issued a statement saying that Panjshiri's death came at a time when Afghanistan was under what it described as authoritarianism, monopoly of power and repression of civil and political freedoms of the Taliban, adding that his death highlighted the heavy price being paid for defending freedom and the people’s right to determine their future.
Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, said the “fire of resistance” against the Taliban would not be extinguished by Hasib Panjshiri’s death in direct fighting with the group.
Dostum said the path of resistance had become clearer and expressed hope that what he called the Taliban’s “rule of oppression and tyranny” would eventually be removed from Afghanistan.
Salahuddin Rabbani, leader of Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan, said in response to Hasib Panjshiri’s death that by killing and threatening opponents, the Taliban was strengthening the determination of Afghans to build a dignified and law-based future.
Rabbani said history had shown that no oppressor has ever prevailed against the will of the people, adding that Afghanistan was no exception.
He described Hasib Panjshiri as someone who had “stood courageously against oppression and tyranny” and lost his life while defending Afghanistan.
Sami Sadat, head of the United Front of Afghanistan, also offered condolences to Panjshiri’s family and comrades, describing him as a proud fighter for freedom.
Sadat said fighters of the United Front of Afghanistan would ensure that Panjshiri’s place on the battlefield did not remain vacant.
Atta Mohammad Noor, a senior figure in Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan, also issued a message referring to Panjshiri as the “Eagle of the Hindu Kush”. Noor described his death as a painful and irreparable loss.
Khalid Amiri, a commander of the National Resistance Front, described Panjshiri as loyal, sincere, honourable, courageous and steadfast.
Amiri said Panjshiri had been not only a comrade-in-arms but also a brother, a companion through difficult years and a man of the toughest battlefields.
He said Hasib Panjshiri’s absence from the ranks of the National Resistance Front would always be felt, but added that his “blood would never go unanswered” and that the path he had followed until his final moments would continue with “even greater determination than before”.
Hasib Panjshiri was a prominent commander of the National Resistance Front. Before the fall of the former republic order in Afghanistan, he joined the National Directorate of Security’s special units after completing military training and took part in various operations.
After the Taliban entered Kabul in August 2021, Panjshiri went to Panjshir and continued fighting against the group. In recent years, several images and videos had also emerged showing him alongside NRF forces in the foothills of the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan.
Mizan, the Iranian judiciary’s news agency, reported that Afghan national Qaem Hosseini was executed over the 8 January 2026 protests in Isfahan in a case known as the “Alikhani Square” case.
Mizan said Hosseini had been charged with drawing a weapon and creating fear and terror, acting against individuals’ physical safety and national security.
According to the judiciary-affiliated agency, Hosseini was executed at dawn on Thursday, 20 August. He had been accused in connection with the killing of four Iranian police officers in Alikhani Square in Isfahan during nationwide protests.
The Iranian judiciary’s media outlet claimed Hosseini had confessed during questioning to taking part in the protests and carrying a bladed weapon. Reports have previously accused the Iranian authorities of extracting forced confessions from defendants in protest-related cases.
Mizan wrote that four members of the Isfahan police special units were attacked and killed in Alikhani Square during protests on 8 January 2026. The judiciary accused Hosseini of taking part in the incident and kicking the bodies of the officers.
According to reports, four other protesters, Erfan Esfandiyari, Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, Amirhossein Safari and Abolfazl Sepahi, had previously been executed over alleged involvement in the same case.
Mizan wrote that Hosseini had gone to the scene wearing a jacket, hat and mask to avoid identification and had switched off his mobile phone to prevent tracking.
Iran’s judiciary has so far executed dozens of people linked to the January protests.
Human rights organisations have accused the Iranian judiciary of unfair trials, forced confessions and brought fabricated charges in cases involving protesters.
Afghan National and Relative of Another Executed Defendant
No independent account from Hosseini’s family or lawyer has yet been published regarding the allegations, judicial process or evidence in the case.
There is also no independent information about the circumstances of his presence at the scene, including whether he was taking part in the protest or was simply in the area at the time.
The judiciary also accused Hosseini of taking part in setting fire to the Amir al-Momenin charity in Isfahan’s Malekshahr district and removing and burning property belonging to the organisation.
Mizan said his court hearings were held in the presence of a lawyer and that police intelligence and security reports, a reconstruction of the scene and statements from other defendants were among the evidence used in the case.
Iran International previously reported that Hosseini, along with Amirhossein Maleki and Ali Dashti, two other protesters detained during the Isfahan protests, was at imminent risk of execution.
Citing an informed source, the report said Hosseini was the maternal cousin of Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, an Afghan national who had previously been executed in connection with the same case.
The judiciary-affiliated media outlet said on 19 July that indictments had been issued against 16 people in the Alikhani Square case.
Iran International also reported on 8 July that the death sentences of 12 defendants in the case had been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court on 5 July and that the case had been referred to the enforcement branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court.
According to the report, 59 people were initially arrested in connection with the protests in Alikhani Square, 23 of whom were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 10 years.
The defendants were reportedly denied the right to choose independent lawyers at the initial stage of proceedings, while their lawyers were also denied access to the case files.
