‘Taliban’s crimes may inflame situation in Afghanistan’

Mohamed Youssri

The Taliban’s seizure of power in August 2021 was far easier than the movement’s leaders and members had expected.

There was, meanwhile, fierce competition in some areas between the Taliban and some of its traditional opponents, especially the Resistance and Liberation Front.

Traditional parties that fought against the movement in the past, especially in Panjshir province, also entered into fierce battles with the Taliban early on in its accession to power in Afghanistan.

Liberation Front

The Liberation Front is a traditional rival of the Taliban. A series of battles took place between the front and the movement, especially in areas where the Taliban is active.

The Taliban announced the death of Akmal Amir, one of the military leaders of the Azadi or Liberation Front, who took up arms against the movement earlier this month with a large number of the members of the front.

The front did not, however, officially announce Amir’s death.

The Azadi Front is one of the armed factions fighting the Taliban alongside the National Resistance Front led by Ahmad Shah Massoud, but separately from the Supreme Council of Resistance which consists of a group of former security forces.

The front, which does not believe that Afghanistan should not fall militarily into the hands of the Taliban and considers this country’s fall into the hands of the movement to be only a political one, is headed by General Yasin Zia, the former chief of staff of the Afghan army.

The front carried out several attacks against the Taliban, the most violent of which was the attacks witnessed in the south of Salang during April. It was led by Amir who returned from abroad specifically for this purpose.

This greatly disturbed the movement after Amir was able to form a front and ignite the war against the Taliban in the Parwan and Kapisa provinces, with the aim of separating the northern provinces from the capital Kabul, as happened in the 1990s.

Taliban campaigns

The Taliban did not stand idly by and watch the front demonstrating animosity to it.

It carried out reprisal campaigns, not only against the front’s members, but also against their relatives.

Flare-up expectations

Asian affairs specialist Mohamed al-Sayed believes the inflamed situation in Afghanistan may lead to a flare-up of the situation in the country even more.

“Violent actions by the Taliban against the families of the victims of the battles may lead to more anger against the movement, even from civilians not associated with opposition factions,” al-Sayed told The Reference.