The Taliban delegation also held talks with the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Both sides criticised US foreign policy

Taliban minister meets Ahmad Massoud, son of the 'Lion of Panjshir' and Afghan resistance leader in Tehran

photo_camera PHOTO/REUTERS - Ahmad Shah Massoud, greets as he arrives to attend a meeting in Bazarak, Panjshir province, Afghanistan.

The Taliban continue to feign moderation and understanding in order to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the international community. After its false promises regarding women's rights, the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has turned to Afghan resistance leaders. Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the Taliban executive, travelled to Iran earlier this week. During his visit, Muttaqi met with Ismail Khan, a former warlord and resistance leader in Herat, and Ahmad Massoud, son of the famous 'Lion of Panjshir', a fighter who successfully fought off the Soviets and the Taliban. Massoud, following the Taliban takeover of Kabul, began leading the resistance from the Panjshir Valley, following in the footsteps of his father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed by Al Qaeda on 9 September 2011, two days before the 9/11 attacks. 

The Panjshir Valley, protected by the Hindu Kush mountains, was an anti-Taliban stronghold between 1996 and 1991. After the insurgents seized power on 15 August, the region was again the centre of Afghan resistance until early September, when it fell to the Taliban after weeks of heavy fighting. As a result, many of the resistance leaders, such as Amrullah Saleh, former vice-president of Afghanistan, moved to Tajikistan.

REUTERS/MOHAMMAS ISMAIL - Fotografía de archivo , Ahmad Massoud, hijo del héroe de la resistencia antisoviética de Afganistán, Ahmad Shah Massoud, habla a sus partidarios en Bazarak, provincia de Panjshir, Afganistán

During their meeting in Tehran, the Taliban minister "assured" Massoud and Khan that they can return to Afghanistan "without worries". "The Islamic Emirate is trying to make sure the country is safe for everyone," Zabihullah Mujahid, deputy information minister, wrote on Twitter. "It is everyone's home, and we do not create insecurity or other problems for anyone. Everyone can come freely and live," Muttaqi said. However, the reality in Afghanistan differs from these statements. Despite his promises of a general amnesty for all opponents of the regime after taking power in August, several organisations have reported "extrajudicial killings" against people linked to the former government. 

In December, the United Nations claimed to have received credible reports of more than 100 executions of former members of the Afghan national security forces and others associated with the former government. The UN accused the Taliban of killing at least 72 people. "In several cases, the bodies were exposed in public, which increased fear among a significant part of the population," notes Nada Al-Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. The UN, in its report, also points to executions carried out by IS-K (Islamic State of Khorasan). For its part, Human Rights Watch has condemned the killings or disappearances of 47 former Afghan forces members who had surrendered to or were being held by the Taliban. Qari Sayed Khosti, the interior minister, rejected the accusations, arguing that the executions were carried out "because of personal enmities or problems".

PHOTO/REUTERS - Fuerzas talibanes en el aeropuerto internacional Hamid Karzai en Kabul, Afganistán, 2 de septiembre de 2021

The Taliban are not only focused on eliminating anyone associated with Ahsraf Ghani's government, but are also trying to silence any criticism of the current government. Faizullah Jalal, a prominent law professor at Kabul University, has been one of the latest citizens arrested by the fundamentalist regime. Jalal has appeared on several television programmes blaming the Taliban for the severe economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the professor was arrested for "trying to instigate people against the system and harming the dignity of others". Massouda, the professor's wife, posted on Facebook that her husband had been arrested at some unknown location. Massouda, a doctor by profession, was minister of women's affairs from 2004 to 2006. She was also the first woman to run for president of Afghanistan. 

Taliban persecution also reaches the religious level. In this regard, the Hazara are the ethnic-religious group that is suffering most from the fundamentalists' regime. In October, Amnesty International condemned the deaths of 13 Hazaras in Daikondi province in central Afghanistan. In August, a few days after taking the capital, the Taliban killed nine Hazara men in Ghazni.

AP/WALI SABAWOON  -   Las mujeres se reúnen para exigir sus derechos bajo el Gobierno talibán durante una protesta en Kabul, Afganistán

However, women remain the main victims of the Taliban regime. The Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has issued one of the latest laws that severely violates women's rights. According to the Taliban government, "women who travel more than 45 miles (72 kilometres) are not allowed to make the journey unless accompanied by a close relative". This ban shows once again that the current Taliban, despite wanting to dissociate themselves from their predecessors, are still on the same path as in 1996. "Every day we see more and more who the Taliban really are, what their views are on women's rights, and it's a very, very bleak picture," Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch told AFP.

Despite positive talks, Iran "is still far from recognising" the Taliban government

Although the meeting between Minister Muttaqi and Afghan resistance leaders took place in Tehran, the Iranian foreign ministry has assured that the Iranian government "is still far from officially recognising the Taliban as the government of neighbouring Afghanistan". However, Saeed Khatibzadeh, a spokesman for the ministry, acknowledged that the talks with Taliban representatives were "positive". "The current condition in Afghanistan is of great concern to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the visit of the Afghan delegation is part of these concerns," Khatibzabeh said. For their part, the Taliban reported that "bilateral economic issues" were discussed during the meeting, in addition to issues related to oil, the Afghan political situation and security.

AP Photo/Misha Japaridze – Foto de archivo de Hossein Amirabollahian.

The US was also on the agenda of the meeting. Both Iranians and Afghans agreed that Washington's foreign policy "fosters differences" between Afghanistan and its neighbours. Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amirabdolahian urged the US to "learn from its mistakes in Afghanistan policy over the past 20 years", while his Taliban counterpart criticised the political and economic pressure on Afghanistan by the Biden administration. He also pointed out that US sanctions affect 80 per cent of Afghan citizens, as reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim.

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