The Taliban exploits coronavirus to expand influence, increase frequency of attacks

The Taliban movement in Afghanistan exploited the coronavirus pandemic to intensify its terrorist attacks and expand its influence in the country, taking advantage of the security laxity and police preoccupation with the imposed governmental measures due to the spread of the epidemic in the country, in addition to that it was able to impose its control on some cities.

Because of the increased attacks, the Ministry of Health has appealed to the movement’s leaders to desist from these attacks so that medical personnel can carry out their tasks.

At the end of last March, the Afghan Taliban movement released a video, showing members of the movement wearing masks against coronavirus as they were conducting house-to-house measurements of the temperature of the population and the distribution of sterilizers and masks.

A member of the movement also confirmed in the video, speaking in English, that the Taliban health committee was controlling the epidemic, noting that it had established quarantine centers.

This video was part of a group of clips broadcast by the movement in which it takes a series of decisions regarding the coronavirus.

Several weeks ago, it announced that returnees from Iran would go to quarantine for their homes for two weeks. The movement also offered the World Health Organization and the Red Crescent to work together in combating the deadly epidemic, trying to replace the state.

Over the past weeks, the Afghan government has faced increasing criticism for slowing the procedures for screening suspected people with the virus.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban movement, announced that the movement was able to impose its control on some Afghan cities, which spread the coronavirus and among the most important areas is the province of Herat.

A report for the US magazine Foreign Policy confirmed that the Afghan movement will become more powerful and fierce during the coming months, and with the spread of the deadly epidemic in the country, because of the increasing attacks carried out by it, and because of the expansion of the territory it controls day after day.