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Dostum says Taliban ‘trapped’ in north and have nowhere to go
Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum said Wednesday that the Taliban are now trapped in the north and will not be able to flee that part of the country and that security forces will “crackdown” on the militants.
Speaking to journalists in Balkh province, Dostum said: “The Taliban have been trapped in the north several times and this time it is not easy to get out from the north.”
Dostum, who is reportedly in Balkh to lead the war against the Taliban in the northern provinces of Afghanistan, noted that Taliban militants could face the fate of Mullah Fazel, who spent years in Guantanamo prison.
Mullah Fazel was the Taliban’s designated chief of army staff during their regime but surrendered to Dostum after the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001.
He was later handed over to the US forces and then transferred to Guantanamo. Today he is one of the negotiating team members for the Taliban in Doha.
Fazel was released, along with four other senior members of the Taliban – including Mullah Norullah Noori, Abdul Haq Wasiq, Khairullah Khairkhwa, and Mohammed Nabi Omari – in exchange for the release of an American soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held captive by the Haqqani Network from 2009 to 2014.
Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday led a government delegation to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday morning to assess the security situation in the northern provinces.
Ghani’s visit to the capital of Balkh province comes amid escalating violence across the country, particularly in the north.
According to the Presidential Palace, Ghani’s senior security and political affairs adviser Mohammad Mohaqiq and former mujahideen commander Juma Khan Hamdard accompanied the president.
In Mazar, Ghani, Mohaqiq, and Hamdard met with political and jihadi leaders, including Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad Noor.
During the meeting, comprehensive discussions were held on the general situation in the northern provinces, and the coordination, equipping, and mobilization of civilian uprising forces under the umbrella of the security forces.
Former Balkh Governor Atta Mohammad Noor stated: “operation plans, partisan and Guerrilla war [against Taliban], strengthening ranks [frontlines], and assessing weak points were discussed.”
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Islamic Emirate has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming meeting of special envoys of regional countries on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Tehran, despite having received an invitation.
In a statement, Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Islamic Emirate has maintained continuous and active engagement with all regional countries through various organizations, regional formats, and bilateral mechanisms, achieving notable progress in promoting mutual understanding and regional cooperation.
The statement added that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes regional cooperation should be advanced by strengthening existing mechanisms and formats within the region.
Tehran is set to host the meeting next week, with special envoys from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia expected to attend.
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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