Afghan Conflict: Russian Political Leader Meets With Massoud

[Insaanistan]

Afghanistan’s Taliban Ban All Education for Girls (The Wall Street Journal)

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I suppose all there is left to do now (if they're not a man) is to escape, or to become the mothers and house wives the Taliban wants them to be.

Why do I feel like there are more options than that?

[The Panjshir Valley]

It's actually sort of odd because this Taliban regime has actually been more moderate than the previous one. Granted, it's not a high bar at all. It's really not hard to be more progressive than 90's Taliban.

The higher ups have been trying to moderate a bit in some respects (mainly in regards to Shiā Muslims and women) in order to be more palatable to the rest of the world. Much to their chagrin, their fighters are much more idealistic and intent on implementing the so-called “Islamic emirate” that has been drilled into their heads for 20 years.

A few things:

1) Since women won't be able to study anything period, working in the medical profession will simply be as assistants to physicians. The usual Taliban fans (who live in the West) have even put forward that obstetrics & gynecology are unnecessary as fields, and that midwives are all that're needed during labor & delivery. Mortality rates for mothers & infants must be a lesser evil than science.

2) From what I see, this regime is not at its core more moderate. It's simply just trying to slowly boil the frog of International opinion. Toleration of Shi'a will probably be the final "reform" to drop, so as to forestall putting Iran into any position where it would be pressured by its own people to live up to its revolutionary facade.

3) I even question the suggestion that the pressure to revert is coming from the Fighters. I think the average gun-holding grunt is only a notch or two more conservative than the republic was.

Emir Akhundzada spent his career as a sharia jurist to the Taliban, and listens to several Kandahari unreformed misogynists. The Haqqanis, the Doha team and even Mullah Omar's son aren't in favor of everything which has returned, to my understanding. It's just a matter of whether a meaningful number of Talibs could ever think to defy the Emir.

4) Diplomatically, the new emirate isn't doing as well as the first one. The first emirate had four recognitions to its name by the eve of 9/11 (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE & Turkmenistan).

[Laasmistan]

4) Diplomatically, the new emirate isn't doing as well as the first one. The first emirate had four recognitions to its name by the eve of 9/11 (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE & Turkmenistan).

Nobody recognizes this new "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" as far as I know. Hopefully that alone will just make them eventually collapse. Can't really do much without international support. Even North Korea's regime, which is pretty universally condemned, still enjoys some support from China which is probably one of the only factors keeping it afloat. Meanwhile, the Taliban regime has nothing. The world knows what they're facing there as this is the same Taliban that was in power decades ago.

[Based Illinois]

4) Diplomatically, the new emirate isn't doing as well as the first one. The first emirate had four recognitions to its name by the eve of 9/11 (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE & Turkmenistan).

Nobody recognizes this new "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" as far as I know. Hopefully that alone will just make them eventually collapse. Can't really do much without international support. Even North Korea's regime, which is pretty universally condemned, still enjoys some support from China which is probably one of the only factors keeping it afloat. Meanwhile, the Taliban regime has nothing. The world knows what they're facing there as this is the same Taliban that was in power decades ago.

Give it time. Pariah state's can last a long time if they're tough enough ( and the Taliban have more than proven that ).

PRC didn't recieve UN recognition until the 70's, and went a whole three decades of being targeted by Warsaw Pact and NATO as rivals.

Russia, China, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan all have Taliban appointed diplomats operating in their countries - showing that all of these nations are willing to play ball with the emirate. In a few years, foresee countries starting to recognize the Taliban government as legitimate ( my money's on Pakistan being first ).

[Insaanistan]

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai Meets With Prominent NRF Official in Berlin

Ahmad Massoud Acknowledges the Death of A Prominent Commander in Baghlan, Warns the International Community Against Engaging the Taliban

The NRF Says the Taliban Have Launched a Massive Air and Land Campaign Against Them in Several Provinces

Ahmad Massoud Posts Poem to Lament the Death of Commander Khair Muhammad

[Insaanistan]

Delegation of the Center for a New American Security Meets With High-Ranking NRF Delegation

NRF Oppose Taliban Signing of Contract With Oil Company Based in Province Where Millions of Muslims are Held in Concentration Camps

Heavy Clashes Between NRF and Taliban Reported in Andarab

Supposing You’re Ahmad Massoud, What do you do?

[Insaanistan]

Afghan Freedom Front Kill Taliban Commander in Kandahar

Former Afghan Ambassador to the UN, Mahmoud Saikal, Speaks to Afghanistan International

Saikal stated that the NRF’s continued existence despite the Taliban’s attempts to dislodge it are a main reason why the Taliban remains unrecognized up until now. Saikal said that some nations had begun interacting with the NRF, but refused to reveal the names of said countries. He added that representatives from these countries had told him that their contact with the Taliban was purely out of necessity, and that as soon as a the resistance was able to gain enough ground and influence, they were prepared to increase interactions with the resistance and stop talking to the Taliban. Additional, Saikal said that neighboring countries were well aware that there was no way the Taliban would bolster security in the region.

He also informed Afghanistan International that heavy clashes are still taking place in Panjshir and Andarab.

[Saiwania]

Afganistan is practically ungovernable because of its geography and history. How would the Kabul government feel about having a "hands off" approach to administering the country? They could have control over official border crossings and major cities, but can ignore any rural provinces or towns they don't control.

Afghanistan can look as it normally does on the map, but in reality will be more like how the Holy Roman Empire was. Just have a patchwork of microstates scattered about all doing their own thing.

[Bahrimontagn]

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai Meets With Prominent NRF Official in Berlin

Ahmad Massoud Acknowledges the Death of A Prominent Commander in Baghlan, Warns the International Community Against Engaging the Taliban

The NRF Says the Taliban Have Launched a Massive Air and Land Campaign Against Them in Several Provinces

Ahmad Massoud Posts Poem to Lament the Death of Commander Khair Muhammad

Do you think Karzai still carries briefcases of dollars with him wherever he goes like back in the day?

[Insaanistan]

Afganistan is practically ungovernable because of its geography and history. How would the Kabul government feel about having a "hands off" approach to administering the country? They could have control over official border crossings and major cities, but can ignore any rural provinces or towns they don't control.

Afghanistan can look as it normally does on the map, but in reality will be more like how the Holy Roman Empire was. Just have a patchwork of microstates scattered about all doing their own thing.

Ignoring the problematic language, the NRF (and as far as I know, most other resistance groups) advocates for a decentralised state.

[Insaanistan]

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai Meets With Prominent NRF Official in Berlin

Ahmad Massoud Acknowledges the Death of A Prominent Commander in Baghlan, Warns the International Community Against Engaging the Taliban

The NRF Says the Taliban Have Launched a Massive Air and Land Campaign Against Them in Several Provinces

Ahmad Massoud Posts Poem to Lament the Death of Commander Khair Muhammad

Do you think Karzai still carries briefcases of dollars with him wherever he goes like back in the day?

Of course! Why leave those behind?

[Insaanistan]

NRF Reportedly Attack Two Taliban Bases in Nuristan Province, Taking 13 Talibs as Prisoners
The northeast Afghan province has as of yet seen little reported resistance activity until now, barring a short lived local uprising.

[The Panjshir Valley]

So, the Long War Journal quietly updated its district control map in November.

Sadly, there's some inconsistent coloring. It does acknowledge AFF (Afghanistan Freedom Front) activity in the south, however.

[Insaanistan]

Foreign Policy: “To Save Afghanistan, Engage its Political Opposition”

How Starlink in Afghanistan Could Help the Resistance

[Saiwania]

How Starlink in Afghanistan Could Help the Resistance

What good could this really do, if the Taliban might just decide that radio in general is evil or bad, and decide to outright outlaw any satellite dishes/receivers they see? The opposition in Afghanistan may as well try to run fiber lines to connect to places outside of the country, but it will be all for nothing if those wires were to be broken or discovered.

[WayNeacTia]

So how long until the world is required to go in and deal with this, yet again? Twenty years and back to square one.....

[Insaanistan]

Prominent Afghan Uzbek Warlord Calls on Tajikistan, Uzbekistan to Hand Afghan Helicopters Over to NRF

In 2021, along with fellow Northern warlord Atta Noor Muhammad, Abdur Rashid Dostum fled to neighboring Uzbekistan after a last stand against the Taliban in the Turkic-majority parts of the North. In the early days of the NRF, Dostum offered nominal support. Now, he seems to be gearing up to take a more active role. The former VP and leader of the Junbish-i-Milli militia has a rather gruesome record. However, he enjoys massive support among Uzbeks, who make up approximately 10% of the entire Afghan population. Some Uzbeks have joined already existing resistance groups, and a few short lived uprisings of Uzbek Taliban fighters have occurred. If Dostum delivers on his declaration of war against the Taliban and promise of a subsequent re-entry of Afghanistan, it would present a very significant boost to the anti-Taliban resistance, as most Uzbeks in Afghanistan would almost certainly take up arms against the Taliban if Dostum were in charge again.

Killed NRF Commander Honored, Resistance Leaders Call for Unity

In London, a memorial was held for Khair Muhammad Andarabi, an NRF commander killed in a battle against the Taliban in Andarab district of Baghdad province recently. While hundreds attended in person, former members of the Afghan government and Afghan opposition members, including Abdur Rashid Dostum, Atta Noor Muhammad, and Ahmad Massoud, attended remotely, paying homage to the rebel commander. Massoud expressed hope that the unity displayed at the memorial would lead to “total unity and cohesion” amongst the Afghan opposition. Muhammad called on the Afghan opposition to put aside its differences and unite against the Taliban as the Northern Alliance had done, specifically referencing a need for the followers of Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud to reconcile their differences for the sake of Afghanistan. Dostum stated that military action is the only way to deal with the Taliban, and called on the Afghan opposition to be prepared to mobilize all forces in the spring. He also criticized Afghanistan’s neighbors for attempting to work with the Taliban. Former Afghan mujahideen fighter and MP al-Hajji Muhammad Mohaqiq, asserted that there were nations who wanted to support the resistance but were withholding support due to the apparent divisions in the opposition.

US Delegation Meets With Tajikistan’s Pro-NRF Afghan Ambassador

Mohammad Zahir Aghbar refused to vacate Afghanistan’s embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, when the Taliban took over the capital in 2021. The pro-NRF politician met with a delegation from the US House of Foreign Affairs committee. Aghbar tweeted that they discussed the threat of terrorism, the need to monitor how humanitarian aid was being used, and the necessity of an Afghan government elected by the people.

[Insaanistan]

So how long until the world is required to go in and deal with this, yet again? Twenty years and back to square one.....

No one in Afghanistan is asking for the US to come back.

[Restored England]

So how long until the world is required to go in and deal with this, yet again? Twenty years and back to square one.....

No one in Afghanistan is asking for the US to come back.

Yeah, we've....done enough. Coughs.

[Insaanistan]

NRF Claims to Have Killed 2 Taliban in Takhar

Former Afghan Soldiers From Kabul & Panjshir Killed

As the Taliban continues to struggle with the NRF & AFF challenging its rule, it continues to break its promise not to carry out retribution against former government soldiers. One of the murdered soldiers had been living in Iran but recently returned to Afghanistan under the impression the Taliban would keep their promise of amnesty, which he quickly discovered was not the case.

[Fahran]

Yeah, we've....done enough. Coughs.

Arguably, it's rather the opposite. Afghanistan is largely in a similar state to how we found it, with the Taliban ruling in Kabul over a largely fractured country. That said, there's no point in launching another intervention if there's no vision for the country and no will to see the war to its conclusion.

[The Atlanta Citadel]

Yeah, we've....done enough. Coughs.

Arguably, it's rather the opposite. Afghanistan is largely in a similar state to how we found it, with the Taliban ruling in Kabul over a largely fractured country. That said, there's no point in launching another intervention if there's no vision for the country and no will to see the war to its conclusion.

Never should have done anything but get bin Laden. I’m not a fan of endless “White Man’s Burden” nation building missions.

[Insaanistan]

Yeah, we've....done enough. Coughs.

Arguably, it's rather the opposite. Afghanistan is largely in a similar state to how we found it, with the Taliban ruling in Kabul over a largely fractured country. That said, there's no point in launching another intervention if there's no vision for the country and no will to see the war to its conclusion.

I believe I mentioned this before, but US troops and officials had practically no idea what they were doing in Afghanistan. Many US officials studied Arabic before going to Afghanistan, unaware that pretty much the only people in Afghanistan who are Arab/speak Arabic fluently are foreign al-Qaeda fighters. They would read Islam for Dummies on the plane ride over and were satisfied they understood the Afghans well enough. Many of them saw Afghans as homogeneous brown (though often pale-skinned, blond and blue eyed) Muslims, at odds with the reality not just of Afghanistan immense diversity, but of the fact that Afghans themselves knew very well they were different peoples. There was little effort taken to keep the government almost completely in the hands of Pashtuns, who while being the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan are not the majority. They failed to understand that not double checking their targets and raiding homes was only brewing discontent. Discontent which could turn into support for the Taliban, or at the very least, apathy towards both.

[The Panjshir Valley]

Never should have done anything but get bin Laden. I’m not a fan of endless “White Man’s Burden” nation building missions.

The guy who was being sheltered by the Taliban, who in turn were sheltered by Pakistan and tribal networks spanning the border. We never came into conflict with the one, and spent twenty years addressing half of the other.

The world isn't a menu of optional side quests. We had to fight the Taliban to reach bin Laden regardless, and if we pulled out immediately after that, that emirate would simply reconstitute and sustain al Qaeda all the same. Just like what is happening today.

[Insaanistan]

Malikzada: Taliban Commander Reportedly Killed in Attack on Kabul, Allegedly NRF Claim Responsibility