Afghanistan's anti-Taliban movements reach an agreement with rulers: Report

New Delhi, December 10 In a significant development in Afghanistan, three major political blocs opposing the Taliban have "reached an agreement and are speaking with a unified voice to address the current crisis", a report said.

The Afghanistan International news website quoted National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan spokesman Abdullah Qarluq claiming that the three major "political movements opposing the Taliban have reached an agreement and are speaking with a unified voice to address the current crisis".

The Council, formed as an anti-Taliban platform after the fall of Kabul in 2021, includes leaders such as Ahmad Massoud, Ata Mohammad Noor, and Yunus Qanuni.

Other similar movements involved in this coordination reportedly are the Afghanistan National Movement for Peace and Justice, led by Hanif Atmar, and the National Assembly for Salvation, led by Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rashid Dostum and other leaders.

Spokespersons for these movements reportedly said that for the first time, a broad spectrum of jihadist leaders and technocrats from the former government have come together. They described the agreement as a "golden opportunity for establishing lasting peace", added the report.

It suggested the talks had taken place at Tehran’s behest, saying: "Recently, some anti-Taliban political figures have travelled to Iran," adding that Taliban Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadim, a close ally of Hibatullah Akhundzada, has also travelled to Iran.

Similar attempts were made earlier, too, with at least one confirmed instance in 2022, when Iran hosted discussions between Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and leaders of the opposition blocs. However, there have been no reports earlier on any headway.

Members of these anti-Taliban groups have either had an association with the Mujahedin administration in Kabul after the withdrawal of Soviet forces in 1989-90, or subsequent governments.

Among the leaders is the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the astute warrior who announced himself as Defence Minister in the initial Mujahedin administration. He was assassinated by the Taliban in 2001.

Part of this anti-Taliban movement also is Dostum, who was a general in the erstwhile Najibullah government, but later joined the Mujahedin administration.

The two leaders, Afghan International said in a separate report, had also joined others among opposition groups, calling for UN-supervised intra-Afghan peace talks.

The joint statement, issued under the title “National Consensus of Afghan Political Parties and Movements,” was released on Tuesday, during an online meeting aimed at presenting a shared proposal for resolving Afghanistan’s current crisis. This was amidst Iran’s reported efforts at getting representatives from the Taliban administration to sit across the table with the resistance leaders for a possible reconciliation.

Most of the opposition leaders are either in hiding in Afghanistan or taking shelter elsewhere, with their followers launching guerrilla attacks on Kabul’s current rulers. However, according to Afghanistan International, a joint “National Consensus” declaration may be released soon.

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