Anti-Taliban resistance front leader Ahmad Massoud arrives in Iran to meet Ismail Khan

Leader of the anti-Taliban resistance front, Ahmad Massoud on Saturday arrived in Iran to meet with the Afghan uprising forces’ leader and former Afghan cabinet minister Ismail Khan to convey the message of the Tajik President Imamali Rahmon and appeal for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, Raha Press reported. The head of the mobilization forces from Kabul’s western Herat province valiantly fought against the Taliban before the hardline Islamists politically took over the country's rule, briefly capturing him. Khan was later released and is currently residing in Mashhad city of neighbouring Iran. 

The anti-Taliban resistance front officials have yet to make public comments about Massoud’s Iran visit, which comes amid the heightened tensions between the Taliban and Tajikistan. The Tajikistani President Rakhmon had earlier clarified that he would not recognize the Taliban government under the current circumstances. He had also blatantly accused the hardline Islamists of human rights abuses and had deployed Tajikistan’s troops on the shared border with Afghanistan, German broadcaster DW had reported. As heated rhetorics escalated between the Taliban and Tajikistan’s President, Russia expressed deep concerns, saying: 

”We observe with concern the growing tensions in Tajik-Afghan relations against the background of mutually harsh statements by the leaders of the two countries. Reports have appeared about the deployment of armed forces by both sides to the common border. According to information from the Taliban, tens of thousands of special forces units have been deployed in the bordering [northern] Afghan province Takhar alone," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaytsev said in a statement. 

Taliban's acting deputy accuses Tajikistan of 'interference'

Meanwhile, the acting deputy head of the Taliban government, Abdul Ghani Baradar, had accused Tajikistan of "interfering" in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, as he warned the Tajik government of the possible repercussions of this act. In an interview with Qatar based TV station, Baradar threatened Tajikistan to get ready with “the Newton third law of motion” threatening retaliation to the neighbouring country’s action. Furthermore, at UK's Cambridge University, NRF leader Ahmad Massoud batted for an ‘ inclusive Afghanistan’ as he urged for democratic elections, stressing that people “must elect their own leaders.” “History has proven that formation of the nation on the basis of emergent and single character for an entire population of people is impractical,” Massoud said. 

Image: AP/Facebook/Ahmad Massoud