A powerful decree issued by the Supreme Leader of the Afghan Taliban Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada to forbid Afghans from taking part in any kind of militant activities beyond the Afghan borders. The message was well received and lauded by many that this order could block the way of spreading violence in the region.
But some Afghans ignored this decree, and were found involved in the cross militant attacks. What has stopped the Taliban interim rulers to take action against such elements by defying the orders of the top leader, whose orders are considered as obligatory on the Afghans? This development has taken everyone aback as either the Taliban leadership writ is weakened or there is some internal support from the government.
Though, publicly, the Taliban government has been insisting that it would not allow anyone to use its land or any Afghans involvement in the cross-border attacks, but practically there is evidence as the international organizations and Pakistan claimed to have it, and also shared them with the senior leadership. The Taliban is claiming that Pakistan should resolve the issue politically and its internal issue, but Islamabad alleged that the terrorists are crossing into Pakistan to carry out attacks.
Regrouping of the terrorist outfits on Afghan soil poses a serious threat to regional security. The world is showing concerns over the issue as Afghanistan may become a ‘hotbed’ for the international as well local terrorist groups, if Kabul could not check this trend, it would be disastrous for Afghanistan itself.
Denying the Facts of Using Afghan Soil by the Terrorists is Not a Solution
The Interim government of the Taliban is denying the reports, but mere denial of the situation on grounds could not work. No doubt, the Taliban is fighting against the Islamic State of Khorasan Province or DAESH Khorasan, and its efforts are being commended. However, its reluctance to take action against groups like the Pakistani militant groups including TTP raises questions.
The Supreme Leader or what they call him as Ameer-ul-Moamineen Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada had categorically banned the use of the Afghan Soil for outside Jihad in an edict, issued recently. However, reports reveal an opposite picture as the banned TTP members have been carrying out attacks from the Afghan side of the border.
The fatwa is binding on the TTP, which has shown allegiance to the Afghan Taliban Supreme leader, and it is also obligatory for Afghans not to be part of any outside attacks. The Taliban Supreme Leader had termed it as haram or forbidden.
The Taliban officials have been publicly reaffirming that they were sticking to their pledges, they had made under the Doha Peace deal, not to allow the Afghanistan soil against any country. However, the reality is different from what the Taliban is claiming.
The Interim government of the Taliban is supposed to implement the orders of the Supreme Leader in letter and spirit to check these cross border attacks, and also stop Afghans from being part of any such adventurism that have affected the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Serious questions are being raised as the Taliban government is having no control over these militant organizations or the latter are strong enough to challenge the writ of the Afghan government. The Taliban or some of its leaders are either supporting these militant groups or differences in the ranks of the Taliban.
Pakistani authorities publicly alleged that they had solid evidence of the involvement of Afghan nationals in most of the recent terrorist attacks. Pakistan’s caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti in a recently held press conference following a high level meeting revealed that 14 attacks out of total 24 this year were carried out by Afghan nationals.
Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to a formula in February this when the acting Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had visited Islamabad to relocate the Pakistani militants and their families to the areas, away from the Afghan border. However, that understanding was not acted upon and the attacks from the other side of the border had continued rather increased.
Pakistan and Afghanistan relations have been affected by the strings of attacks, and the Taliban cold response to resolve it. This is also a worrisome factor if the Afghans are not obeying the decree of their top leader, and the inability of the Taliban to implement it, and take actions against the violators.
There were some unconfirmed reports from the Afghanistan Nuristan Province last month that the TTP members, who were returning from the bordering area, were arrested by the Afghan Taliban. However, these reports were not verified by independent sources, and the TTP.
Some reports say the TTP is having strong connections in the Afghan Taliban, otherwise, it could not stay for a single moment after the Taliban leader decree or the TTP members could be asked to live peacefully.
Despite the killings of some senior commanders of TTP inside Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban has been denying the TTP presence, and calling them as ‘Pakistani refugees’, displaced by the military operations.
It is also feared that some commanders of the TTP may join the ISKP or DAESH Khorasan, if force is being used against them. The TTP had denied these reports, terming them mere speculations. But there is something in the minds of the Afghan Taliban that it is not taking actions against the TTP or other militant groups.
The Afghan Taliban leadership has been arguing that its fight was to end the foreign occupation of the country and have no agenda of global jihad, and had distanced itself from the international militant groups. The Taliban had pledged, under the Doha peace deal, that it would not allow any group to use the Afghan soil that could pose a threat to the USA, its allies and other countries.
Now the Taliban is controlling 100 percent of the Afghanistan land with almost no resistance or pockets of resistance, so it is responsible for the internal security of the country, and control over borders to check any threat to the neighboring countries.
There is no room for any misadventures as the region had passed through a difficult time for almost 20 years. Pakistan, as sharing the longest border with Afghanistan, had suffered a lot and is yet to recover. The spillover effects of the war on terrorism cost thousands of lives of the civilians and security forces, and heavy economic losses of billions of dollars.
The war is over in Afghanistan with a decline is violence there after the US led troops withdrawal, but there is an unprecedented spike in the terrorist attacks on Pakistan, mostly tracing links to Afghanistan. Pakistan is praising the issuance of decree of the Taliban leader, and pledges of the Taliban officials, but the actions are not matching with the words.
