Key points
- Taj Mir Javad was killed near Aino Mina Square
- NIF said it conducted a planned operation
- Front vowed to continue its resistance campaign
ISLAMABAD: The National Independence Front of Afghanistan said its forces killed Taj Mir Javad, deputy director general of Taliban intelligence in Kandahar Province, during a planned operation near Aino Mina Square.
According to a statement issued by the Front, the NIF said the operation was conducted “this evening” (August 30) in the vicinity of Aino Mina Square and resulted in the death of Javad, whom it identified as a senior intelligence official of the Taliban authorities in Kandahar.
The Front described the operation as a significant development. “It represented “a clear warning” to officials and commanders responsible for repression, violence and systematic violations against Afghans,” the statement added.
“The National Independence Front reiterates its position that officials and commanders directly responsible for the Taliban’s security and coercive apparatus may be subject to resistance operations,” the statement said.
The NIF further said those responsible for serious abuses should not assume that their positions or authority would protect them from accountability.
The Front presented the operation as part of its campaign against Taliban rule, saying it remained committed to ending the Taliban’s monopoly on power and establishing an inclusive political system.
It said its objective was to establish “a legitimate, inclusive, representative, and accountable political order founded upon the will and rights of the Afghan people.”
The statement also said the Front would continue its struggle until Afghanistan achieved national independence, political freedom, justice and equal rights for all citizens.
The NIF concluded by reaffirming its commitment to its resistance campaign, saying: “Our struggle will continue until Afghanistan achieves genuine national independence, political freedom, justice, and a future in which all citizens can live with dignity, security, and equal rights.”
Kandahar holds particular importance for the Taliban as the movement’s historic political and spiritual stronghold. The killing of a senior intelligence official in the provincial capital would therefore carry significance for the security environment surrounding the Taliban leadership and its security apparatus.
The NIF statement did not provide details of the method used in the operation, the circumstances surrounding Javad’s death or whether other people were killed or wounded.
