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Dostum says Taliban ‘trapped’ in north and have nowhere to go
Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum said Wednesday that the Taliban are now trapped in the north and will not be able to flee that part of the country and that security forces will “crackdown” on the militants.
Speaking to journalists in Balkh province, Dostum said: “The Taliban have been trapped in the north several times and this time it is not easy to get out from the north.”
Dostum, who is reportedly in Balkh to lead the war against the Taliban in the northern provinces of Afghanistan, noted that Taliban militants could face the fate of Mullah Fazel, who spent years in Guantanamo prison.
Mullah Fazel was the Taliban’s designated chief of army staff during their regime but surrendered to Dostum after the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001.
He was later handed over to the US forces and then transferred to Guantanamo. Today he is one of the negotiating team members for the Taliban in Doha.
Fazel was released, along with four other senior members of the Taliban – including Mullah Norullah Noori, Abdul Haq Wasiq, Khairullah Khairkhwa, and Mohammed Nabi Omari – in exchange for the release of an American soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held captive by the Haqqani Network from 2009 to 2014.
Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday led a government delegation to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday morning to assess the security situation in the northern provinces.
Ghani’s visit to the capital of Balkh province comes amid escalating violence across the country, particularly in the north.
According to the Presidential Palace, Ghani’s senior security and political affairs adviser Mohammad Mohaqiq and former mujahideen commander Juma Khan Hamdard accompanied the president.
In Mazar, Ghani, Mohaqiq, and Hamdard met with political and jihadi leaders, including Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad Noor.
During the meeting, comprehensive discussions were held on the general situation in the northern provinces, and the coordination, equipping, and mobilization of civilian uprising forces under the umbrella of the security forces.
Former Balkh Governor Atta Mohammad Noor stated: “operation plans, partisan and Guerrilla war [against Taliban], strengthening ranks [frontlines], and assessing weak points were discussed.”
Pakistan on Friday summoned Afghan Deputy Head of Mission in Islamabad to convey “strong demarche” over a deadly attack on a military camp in North Waziristan District that killed four Pakistani soldiers.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack was carried out by a faction of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The statement said that Pakistan conveyed “grave concern over the continued support and facilitation” provided by the Islamic Emirate to TTP.
Pakistan has demanded “a full investigation and decisive action against the perpetrators and facilitators of the terrorist attacks launched against Pakistan from Afghan soil.”
It urged the Islamic Emirate “to take immediate, concrete and verifiable measures against all terror groups operating from its territory, including their leadership, and deny the continued use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan.
According to the statement, the Islamic Emirate has been “categorically informed that Pakistan reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and protect its citizens, and will take all necessary measures to respond to terrorism originating from Afghan soil.”
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are originated from Afghan soil, a charge the Islamic Emirate denies.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has underscored Afghanistan’s continued importance in regional cooperation, saying the country remains one of the key areas of interaction among regional partners.
Addressing the first summit of the “Central Asia Plus Japan” dialogue, Mirziyoyev said participating countries share a common aspiration to see Afghanistan become peaceful, stable, and oriented toward meaningful development.
The Uzbek president praised Japan’s longstanding and consistent support for Afghanistan, noting that Tokyo has for many years been among the leading donors and partners assisting the Afghan people.
He expressed confidence that coordinated efforts and joint contributions by regional countries and Japan would help improve living standards in Afghanistan, advance socio-economic and infrastructure development, and facilitate the country’s active involvement in regional economic projects.
The Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan announced on Friday that the country has allocated $19.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Japanese Embassy said it hopes the aid will help bring positive change to the lives of vulnerable Afghans.
According to the statement, the assistance will cover the basic humanitarian needs of vulnerable communities in Afghanistan.
The embassy added that the aid will be delivered through United Nations agencies, international organizations, and Japanese non-governmental organizations operating in Afghanistan.
Japan’s total assistance to Afghanistan since August 2021 has reached more than $549 million.
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