Senators Slam Taliban’s ‘Al Khandaq’ Offensive

A number of Afghan senators on Sunday criticized Taliban’s spring offensive named after a famous battle in the history of Islam, saying the aim of the Taliban’s offensive is to kill Muslims.

Mohammad Hanif Hanafi, a member of the upper house of parliament said the insurgent group is fighting for the favor of its foreign masters to kill “Mujahidin, Muslims, and Afghans”.

Meanwhile, Gulali Akbari, another member of the House said “Al Khandaq” was a sacred fight for the protection of Muslims, but Taliban have killed “30 Muslims in one day in a district”.

In addition, Mohammad Alam Izadyar, the first deputy chairman of the senate house said the terrorist groups are using Islam as a tool against the people of Afghanistan.

“Taliban has named their spring offensive after the Battle of the Trench also known as Al Khandaq which was a sacred battle at the dawn of Islam – but Taliban are using the name to fight against the Muslim nation of Afghanistan. Taliban should stop being a slave to foreigners. They should use democratic processes such as elections to reach to the power,” Izadyar said.

On April 25, Taliban announced the launch of its spring offensive under the name of “Al Khandaq”. The group said the offensive will be focused on killing of U.S. and Afghan security and intelligence forces.

Following the announcement, the group’s fighters have launched coordinated attacks against the Afghan forces across the country.