Afghan Conflict: Russian Political Leader Meets With Massoud

[Northern Seleucia]

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

Let's go!

[Insaanistan]

Taliban Commander Samiullah Maiwand Confirmed to Have Been Killed in Attack in Kabul

[Insaanistan]

Iran Hand’s Over Tehran Embassy to Taliban, Taliban Subsequently Release Imprisoned Iranian Border Guard
The move was condemned by the National Resistance Front. Tehran continues to seem as if it is maintaining ties with both the Taliban and the NRF.

NRF Launch Attack on Taliban HQ in Dashti Qatar District
Another NRF attack took place in the village of Kazar in Rustaq District. Both locations are in Takhar, a province that borders Tajikistan.

NRF Allegedly Attack Taliban Fighters in Both Kunduz Province & the Capital of Takhar Province

NRF Spokesman Ali Maisam Nazary Speaks to BBC Farsi on the Handover of the Afghan Embassy in Tehran to the Taliban

[Fahran]

Taliban Commander Samiullah Maiwand Confirmed to Have Been Killed in Attack in Kabul

May G-d judge him.

[Insaanistan]

Taliban Commander Samiullah Maiwand Confirmed to Have Been Killed in Attack in Kabul

May G-d judge him.

Ameen.

[Insaanistan]

Amnesty International Decries Taliban Human Rights Abuses, Acknowledges National Resistance Front of Afghanistan

EU Maintains That it in No Way Supports Armed Resistance in Afghanistan

[Fahran]

Amnesty International Decries Taliban Human Rights Abuses, Acknowledges National Resistance Front of Afghanistan

EU Maintains That it in No Way Supports Armed Resistance in Afghanistan

Common EU L.

[Insaanistan]

I find it hilarious (and annoying… and sad) that the Taliban continues to maintain that the NRF doesn’t exist, poses no threat, and is just online propaganda, but then also routinely kills & arrests people on charges of being NRF fighters or collaborators and extols any NRF casualties they inflict in battle.

[Ard al Islam]

In Shaa Allah God grants the Taliban, the saviors of Afghanistan, speedy and complete victory.

[Insaanistan]

In Shaa Allah God grants the Taliban, the saviors of Afghanistan, speedy and complete victory.

Ah, yes, the saviors of Afghanistan who ethnically cleanse and forcibly displace fellow Muslims (and due those Muslims’ ethnicities no less), and deny women the right to an education (a thing that Muhammad pbuh ordered Muslims of both genders to pursue).

[El Lazaro]

Amnesty International Decries Taliban Human Rights Abuses, Acknowledges National Resistance Front of Afghanistan

EU Maintains That it in No Way Supports Armed Resistance in Afghanistan

It’s a good thing the EU was able to dodge a breakdown of non-existent diplomatic relations with the Taliban and their extensive list of allies, such as Imran Khan and the TTP.

[Fahran]

In Shaa Allah God grants the Taliban, the saviors of Afghanistan, speedy and complete victory.

What did they save Afghanistan from?

[Insaanistan]

In Shaa Allah God grants the Taliban, the saviors of Afghanistan, speedy and complete victory.

What did they save Afghanistan from?

Food.

[Insaanistan]

The Complexities of Iran’s Relationship With the Taliban & the Resistance

The Taliban and Iran have long had a complicated relationship. Iran supported the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance back in the 90s, especially Hazara and Tajik factions. The US initially lended some support to the Taliban due to its anti-Shiā Muslim (and in turn, anti-Iranian) ideology. But the two noticed that they shared many of the same enemies, and so over the decades, they have not fully distanced themselves from one another. The Taliban’s takeover of most of the country in 2021 only served to further complicate things. When the Taliban took over, most protests in neighboring Iran were in support of the National Resistance Front it’s leader, Ahmad Massoud. However, other protests in support of the Taliban also took place. Some Iranian diplomats have met with, shaken hands with, and prayed with Taliban officials, while others have praised Ahmad Massoud as a symbol and representative of the Afghan people.

Additionally, Iran sees itself (or at least presents itself) as the protector of Shiā Muslims world wide. Despite promising it had changed, the Taliban carried out massacres of Hazara Shiā Muslim civilians and forcibly displaced them to make way for Pashtuns. The few Hazaras in relatively significant positions in the Taliban that pro-cooperation Iranian officials before could’ve pointed to as proof the group no longer expouded hatred of Shiās have largely been alienated and subsequently have defected, such as Mehdi Mujahid.

Taliban fighters stationed on the border with Iran have regularly clashed with Iranian border guards (one captured border guard was released by the Taliban after the Afghan embassy in Iran was handed over to them, leading many to speculate the move was done in order to free the captured guard).

Then there’s also the fact that both hardliners and the opposite tend to support the National Resistance Front. Both hardline and opposition news sites condemned the handover of the embassy, while extolling the NRF’s victories in Afghanistan. The fact the NRF largely has the support of Iranians across the ideological divide presents some pressure from the government to continue to do what it’s doing; that is, keep channels open with the NRF. Indeed, in recent international and regional conferences involving the NRF, including one where the key speaker was Ahmad Massoud, Iranian diplomats have been present.

[Insaanistan]

Taliban Claims to Have Killed 8 “Kidnappers & Rebels” After Hours of Fighting in Mazar-i-Sharif

The Taliban say the fighting took place for nearly 3 hours before they were able to defeat the fighters. The killed fighters are believed to be members of the National Resistance Front. Their bodies were displayed publicly in Mazar-i-Sharif, an Uzbek majority area where most of the population supports the opposition.

[Ard al Islam]

Taliban Claims to Have Killed 8 “Kidnappers & Rebels” After Hours of Fighting in Mazar-i-Sharif

The Taliban say the fighting took place for nearly 3 hours before they were able to defeat the fighters. The killed fighters are believed to be members of the National Resistance Front. Their bodies were displayed publicly in Mazar-i-Sharif, an Uzbek majority area where most of the population supports the opposition.

Thanks for the good news!

[The Panjshir Valley]

Taliban Claims to Have Killed 8 “Kidnappers & Rebels” After Hours of Fighting in Mazar-i-Sharif

The Taliban say the fighting took place for nearly 3 hours before they were able to defeat the fighters. The killed fighters are believed to be members of the National Resistance Front. Their bodies were displayed publicly in Mazar-i-Sharif, an Uzbek majority area where most of the population supports the opposition.

Nice site, didn't know of this one.

[Insaanistan]

Ahmad Massoud Officially Launches “Women’s Council” Consisting of Afghan Women From All Walks of Life

It’s establishment was kicked off with a recitation of the Qur’ân. The “Women’s Council of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan” has already been praised by New Zealand’s former prime minister Helen Clark. NRF Spokesman Ali Maisam Nazary said on Twitter:
“The
@NRFafg’s leader @AhmadMassoud01 officially launched its Women’s Council, a council made up of women from all walks of life and across the political spectrum. It constitutes includes women who are active within and outside of Afghanistan and are resisting in different ways to regain their freedom and fundamental rights as human beings. This council will have a special place in the National Resistance Front’s policy making and decision making process and will pursue a general mobilization of women politically, socially and militarily to expand the resistance and bring us closer to Afghanistan’s liberation. The Resistance against the Taliban terrorists and other international and regional terrorist organizations is one that requires the active participation of all citizens of Afghanistan, regardless of their gender, ethnicity and religious beliefs. The formation of this council by the NRF certainly demonstrates our determination and adamant belief towards a democratic pluralistic Afghanistan where all citizens regardless of their gender, ethnicity, and religious convictions will enjoy equal rights and opportunities. May God grant us Victory!”

[Insaanistan]

Afghan Freedom Front Attacks Taliban in Kabul, Claims to Have Killed 3 and Injured 4
The Taliban meanwhile have admitted there was an explosion that killed 2 Talibs in the area but didn’t disclose the reason for the explosion.

[Insaanistan]

8 Talibs Killed in Clash With NRF in Baghlan

Two Brothers Reportedly the Only NRF Casualties

[Insaanistan]

Fake Accounts Uncovered Posing as Credible Sources to Promote Taliban Propaganda

The tweets often targeted the NRF, falsely claiming ties with IS-K and Israel, as well as other talk points frequently falsely claimed by the Taliban.

[Insaanistan]

Ahmad Massoud Delivers Nowruz Message

Key Takeaways:

The latest: Through his Nowruz message, the National Resistance Front (NRF) leader Ahmad Massoud has stated that some countries and institutions are justifying their “mistakes” under the pretext of lack of alternatives to the Taliban.



Go deeper:

Massoud addressed regional and world countries in his congratulatory message on the occasion of Nowruz (Persian new year) and emphasised that any kind of alignment and interaction with the Taliban is inconclusive.
Earlier, some institutions and countries claimed that there was no alternative to the Taliban government in Afghanistan after the fall of the republican system.
The leader of the National Resistance Front added that any interaction with the Taliban by any country is an interaction against the values that those countries consider fundamental rights for their people.
“Pakistan-Taliban relations are the best example to support our claim. We repeatedly told Pakistani officials years ago that the policy and strategy of weakening Afghanistan by proxy groups like the Taliban may bring them a tactical victory, but it is a long-term strategic failure that Pakistan’s political, security and economic crisis today rightly illustrates that other countries are also aware of their engagement with the Taliban,” he added.
Massoud also provides an alternative stating that a political process that refers to the people’s votes is an option against the Taliban and the status quo. “Otherwise, until we gain an acceptable system for the Afghan people to self-determination, resistance to tyranny and authoritarianism continues,” he added.
Massoud also called on politicians to unite to save the country, regardless of “any difference of perspective”.
He also reacted to the ban on the celebration of Nowroz by the Taliban and called it a desperate attempt to destroy the ancient cultures of citizens of Afghanistan.
He also admired the protests by women against the Taliban policies and said that the women’s stance is a base for resistance against the Taliban’s ideology.
The NRF leader stressed on the continuation of resistance against the Taliban. He said that the Taliban’s acceptance of democracy and civil liberties is the pre-condition to negotiating with the Taliban.


Zoom out: Led by Ahmad Massoud, the son of the late Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) is the “most well-developed” of all the anti-Taliban outfits. The key areas of NRF operations with bases are in Panjshir, Pawan, Kapisa, Badakshan, Balkh, Takhar, Baghlan and Kabul provinces.

Without backing of other countries, the opposition groups face the challenge of inter-group rivalry, which in turn is hampering their abilities to form a collective offensive group. Hence, the appeal by Massoud this new year to united all opposition forces.

[Ard al Islam]

Ahmad Massoud Delivers Nowruz Message

Key Takeaways:

The latest: Through his Nowruz message, the National Resistance Front (NRF) leader Ahmad Massoud has stated that some countries and institutions are justifying their “mistakes” under the pretext of lack of alternatives to the Taliban.



Go deeper:

Massoud addressed regional and world countries in his congratulatory message on the occasion of Nowruz (Persian new year) and emphasised that any kind of alignment and interaction with the Taliban is inconclusive.
Earlier, some institutions and countries claimed that there was no alternative to the Taliban government in Afghanistan after the fall of the republican system.
The leader of the National Resistance Front added that any interaction with the Taliban by any country is an interaction against the values that those countries consider fundamental rights for their people.
“Pakistan-Taliban relations are the best example to support our claim. We repeatedly told Pakistani officials years ago that the policy and strategy of weakening Afghanistan by proxy groups like the Taliban may bring them a tactical victory, but it is a long-term strategic failure that Pakistan’s political, security and economic crisis today rightly illustrates that other countries are also aware of their engagement with the Taliban,” he added.
Massoud also provides an alternative stating that a political process that refers to the people’s votes is an option against the Taliban and the status quo. “Otherwise, until we gain an acceptable system for the Afghan people to self-determination, resistance to tyranny and authoritarianism continues,” he added.
Massoud also called on politicians to unite to save the country, regardless of “any difference of perspective”.
He also reacted to the ban on the celebration of Nowroz by the Taliban and called it a desperate attempt to destroy the ancient cultures of citizens of Afghanistan.
He also admired the protests by women against the Taliban policies and said that the women’s stance is a base for resistance against the Taliban’s ideology.
The NRF leader stressed on the continuation of resistance against the Taliban. He said that the Taliban’s acceptance of democracy and civil liberties is the pre-condition to negotiating with the Taliban.


Zoom out: Led by Ahmad Massoud, the son of the late Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) is the “most well-developed” of all the anti-Taliban outfits. The key areas of NRF operations with bases are in Panjshir, Pawan, Kapisa, Badakshan, Balkh, Takhar, Baghlan and Kabul provinces.

Without backing of other countries, the opposition groups face the challenge of inter-group rivalry, which in turn is hampering their abilities to form a collective offensive group. Hence, the appeal by Massoud this new year to united all opposition forces.

What a joke. Massoud isn't even in Afghanistan and he wants to play leader.

[Insaanistan]

It’s totally not like the Taliban was originally made up of exiled Afghans…

Additionally, for some reason, it seems most Afghans prefer the group run by the guy flying between Europe, Afghanistan & Tajikistan than the group full of fundamentalists from Pakistan.

[Ard al Islam]

It’s totally not like the Taliban was originally made up of exiled Afghans

Correct. They weren't.

Additionally, for some reason, it seems most Afghans prefer the group run by the guy flying between Europe, Afghanistan & Tajikistan than the group full of fundamentalists from Pakistan.

Yeah, maybe the Afghans that have never lived or even been to Afghanistan.