Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s chief of army staff, has warned opponents of the group that they will face a “decisive, serious, and forceful” response from Taliban forces if they conspire against the Taliban administration or attempt to undermine security.
Speaking on Wednesday, 28 Asad, at a ceremony marking the 107th anniversary of Afghanistan’s independence, Fitrat said that opponents who, in his words, had left Afghanistan at the direction of foreign countries and were operating against the Taliban from abroad would not be capable of challenging the group.
He called on the Taliban’s opponents to return to Afghanistan and live alongside the people. Fitrat also said that the “arms of the Islamic Emirate” were open to them and that the Taliban was prepared to grant them “amnesty.”
At the same time, however, the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff warned that if opponents, after returning, engaged in activities that, according to him, disrupted the country’s “order and security,” Taliban forces would take strong action against them.
Addressing the group’s opponents, Fitrat said: “They should be vigilant and come to their senses; instead of conspiring against the Islamic system, they should return and live freely and with dignity alongside their own people.”
The remarks come as several groups opposed to the Taliban, both inside and outside Afghanistan, continue to operate against the Taliban government. Most recently, the United Afghanistan Front claimed that its forces had attacked a Taliban military base at the 205 Al-Badr Corps in Kandahar.
The Taliban has so far provided no further information regarding the details of the claim or how the alleged attack took place.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
