- Senior Afghan leaders will negotiate with the Taliban.
- This happened after the group took over the country.
- The organization is preparing for the resistance of the Taliban.
A group of senior Afghan leaders, including two regional commanders, are seeking talks with the Taliban and plan to meet in a few weeks to establish a new front for negotiations on the country’s next government.
Khalid Nur, the son of Atta Mohamed Nur, the governor of Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan, once in power, said that the organization is composed of senior Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dostum and others. It is composed of people who oppose the Taliban takeover.
“We prefer collective bargaining because the Afghanistan issue is not something we can solve alone,” Nuer, 27, said in an interview in a secret location.
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“Therefore, the participation of the entire political community in the country is very important, especially traditional leaders, powerful people, and people with public support,” Noor said.
Atta Noor and Dostum, veterans of the 40-year conflict in Afghanistan, fled the country when the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif fell into the hands of the Taliban without fighting.
As the Taliban swept Kabul on August 15, the US-backed government and military retreated elsewhere.
‘Very very arrogant’
However, behind-the-scenes discussions have shown that the country’s traditional strongmen are returning to life after the Taliban’s amazing military operations.
Most analysts say that if there is no consensus among the different races of the country, it will be a challenge for any entity to rule Afghanistan for a long time.
Unlike the pre-2001 period in power, the Pashtun-dominated Taliban did seek the support of Tajiks, Uzbeks and other ethnic minorities when preparing for an offensive last month.
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“The Taliban at this time are very, very arrogant, because they only won the military. But we assume [is] They know the risks of ruling in their previous way,” Noor said, referring to the exclusion of minority groups by the former Taliban regime.
Former Governor of Balkh Province Atta Mohamed Nur was interviewed in Mazar-i-Sharif [File: Reuters]
‘Surrender without a doubt’
Despite promises to negotiate, Noor said that the “great risk” of possible failure of the negotiations has caused the organization to prepare for armed resistance to the Taliban.
“Surrender is impossible for us,” said Noor, the youngest member of the former Afghan government team that met with the Taliban in Qatar.
Ahmed Masood, the leader of Afghanistan’s last major anti-Taliban outpost, also said last week that he hopes that negotiations with the Taliban will establish an inclusive government, otherwise his forces are ready to fight.
It is currently uncertain how much popular support leaders such as Atta Noor, who is widely accused of corruption, and Dostum, who is accused of multiple torture and atrocities and described as “typical warlords” in the US State Department report, have actually received. Both leaders denied these allegations.
The Taliban are already a powerful military force. It is now estimated to have 2,000 armored vehicles and as many as 40 aircraft, as well as other weapons left by the Afghan army, which may enhance their firepower.
However, Noor said that the Taliban will not be able to resist popular resistance.
The Western-educated politician said: “History shows that no one in Afghanistan can rule by force. This is impossible.” “No matter how much support they receive from the international community, it will fail.”
