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Because the worldwide group wrestles over whether or not to recognise the brand new Taliban regime in Kabul, one nation has rapidly made clear the place it stands. Neighbouring Tajikistan has emerged as a vocal critic of the federal government and a hub for Afghan resistance.
Ahmad Massoud, the chief of Afghanistan’s Nationwide Resistance Entrance and the son of Soviet-era resistance chief Ahmad Shah Massoud, Amrullah Saleh, the previous vice-president and self-declared performing president, and Abdul Latif Pedram, the chief of the Nationwide congress occasion of Afghanistan, have all been given safety in Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital.
Afghanistan’s neighbours in central Asia worry the Taliban takeover might unleash radicalism and spur drug trafficking within the area, in addition to enhance refugee flows. However for Tajikistan specifically, help of the ethnic Tajiks who make up the Afghan resistance and have lengthy confronted discrimination, is non negotiable.
“The entire weight of the damaging penalties of the worldwide coalition departure is falling on the shoulders of the neighbouring international locations,” mentioned Tajikistan’s president Emomali Rahmon, referring to the US withdrawal final month of its last troops from Afghanistan, ending its 20 12 months battle there.
“If we go away the scenario with out consideration, there’s a threat of the 2001 scenario repeating,” he mentioned, referring to the 9/11 terror assaults in America that precipitated the US involvement in Afghanistan.
The historical past of the 2 international locations has lengthy been intertwined, with a number of hundred thousand Tajiks — the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan — having sought refuge there throughout its Nineties civil battle.
In an indication of Rahmon’s shut ties with resistance leaders, he this month awarded Massoud’s father Tajikistan’s highest honour for his help through the Tajik civil battle. Rahmon had supported the opposition Northern Alliance, led by Massoud through the Taliban’s rule within the Nineties.
Talking on situation of anonymity, a western diplomat within the area mentioned Rahmon might use the Taliban menace to bolster his home help and as “a pretext for an additional crackdown on the opposition” and the introduction of extra counter-terrorism measures.
The ousted Afghan authorities and the resistance, which is combating the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Panjsher province, are utilizing the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe as a base to plan their subsequent steps. “We plan to announce formal resistance to the Taliban inside a month,” mentioned Pedram, who has a $200,000 Taliban bounty on his head. He and his spouse, journalist turned politician Fereshta Hazrati, the cousin of late Ahmad Shah Massoud, lead the resistance council.
Given the Taliban’s reluctance to have interaction in talks on a federal authorities, they don’t have any alternative however to have interaction in battle, Pedram mentioned. “Both we settle for the Islamist state or we resist. Nothing is extra essential to us than freedom. We can’t afford to stay within the circumstances we’ve below the Islamist state,” he mentioned.
Help for the resistance will develop as soon as it positive aspects momentum, he mentioned. Whereas it’s so far solely financed by rich Afghans, it hopes to achieve extra backing from Russia, the normal guarantor of safety in central Asia. “We would like good relations with all of the international locations within the area. However of all them Russia has essentially the most energy, little doubt,” he mentioned.
Pedram mentioned the resistance had “superb” contacts with Moscow “past the ministerial degree” and Rahmon, in energy for the reason that collapse of the Soviet Union, is anticipated to push the resistance’s case with President Vladimir Putin in a forthcoming go to.
However Temur Umarov, a Central Asia knowledgeable on the Carnegie Moscow Middle, doubts the resistance can depend on help from Moscow. “Russia understands that the probably situation for Afghanistan’s future is one the place the Taliban performs the important thing function there whereas the resistance forces are now not capable of take the ability again even in some provinces,” mentioned Umarov.
Nonetheless members of the resistance argue that Afghan sources, equivalent to copper, lithium, iron and aluminium, provide Moscow an incentive. “It’s additionally an financial battle. The Russians don’t assist us for the sake of God, however they are going to assist us for the economic system,” Pedram mentioned.
Whereas the broader resistance is beset by infighting, with Pedram and Massoud reluctant to work with Saleh, they’re united on the necessity for international help.
Mohammad Zahir Aghbar, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tajikistan from the previous authorities and now thought-about Saleh’s deputy, mentioned: “We don’t need a few international locations to help us, we would like the worldwide group to help us. As a result of it’s worldwide terrorism we’re speaking about right here, and it threatens the entire world.”
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