The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, has said that the general amnesty announced following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021 was aimed at preventing revenge and helping restore security and stability across the country.

According to IEA deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat, Akhundzada made the remarks during a meeting in Kandahar with governors, heads of Ulema councils, appellate court chiefs, tribal elders, and religious scholars from nine provinces in northeastern and northwestern Afghanistan.

Addressing the gathering, Akhundzada said the Islamic Emirate had instructed its fighters not to seek retribution against former government officials, security personnel, or others associated with the previous administration.

“We prevented the Mujahideen from taking revenge and prohibited them from doing so,” he said. “We told them to lay down their weapons; we would not kill them and would not hold them accountable. They laid down their weapons, and we granted them amnesty.”

The general amnesty was announced shortly after the Islamic Emirate took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, ending two decades of conflict between the former Western-backed government and the IEA. The move was widely presented by the authorities as an effort to encourage reconciliation and prevent further bloodshed during the transition of power.

Akhundzada said that after years of war and suffering, Afghans should be encouraged to forgive one another and move beyond longstanding grievances. He urged religious leaders and community elders to promote reconciliation and help prevent old disputes from being passed on to future generations.

He added that lasting peace requires communities to reject cycles of revenge and hostility, warning that unresolved conflicts could continue to fuel divisions if left unaddressed.

The meeting was also attended by officials from the Kandahar Ulema Council, the Supreme Court, the Central Darul Ifta, the Religious Publications Evaluation Department, and a number of teachers and madrasa administrators.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin has warned that the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan could trigger a humanitarian crisis and create conditions for the spread of extremist ideologies and terrorist groups into member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Speaking at a meeting of the CSTO Defence Ministers Council in Moscow, Khrenin said the security situation within the organization’s area of responsibility had not improved since last year, citing emerging threats in Central Asia and developments in Iran.

Khrenin called on CSTO countries to increase participation in joint military training activities and expand cooperation with other states and organizations that share the bloc’s security principles.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a Russia-led military alliance established in 2002 that brings together Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.

Regional countries including Russia have repeatedly raised concerns about security threat from Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concern reiterating that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against other countries.