Taliban disavow ‘self-styled jihad’ in Pakistan
Senior leader says such individuals cannot be regarded as mujahideen
PESHAWAR:
A senior Taliban commander said on Wednesday that militants who engage in combat in a foreign country without the amir’s authorisation are not justified in doing so, adding that such individuals cannot be regarded as mujahideen or jihadis.
This was stated by Saeedullah Saeed, a senior commander at the Hazrat Hamza Military Academy, during a graduation ceremony for 400 police personnel in Kabul.
“Those who defy the orders of Amirul Momineen Mullah Hibatullah Akhund and go to fight beyond the borders of another country (without naming Pakistan) are not justified and are disobeying the amir’s orders,” Saeed said.
“Individuals who affiliate themselves with one group or another to engage in jihad in a foreign country are not considered mujahideen or jihadis,” he added.
This marks the third time that Amirul Momineen Hibatullah Akhund has directed all followers and communicated to commanders along Pakistan’s western border that any jihad undertaken without the decree of the Amir or the Council of Ulema is considered fasad (illegal or corrupt).
The message came following a drone strike in Janikhel, Bannu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, which killed over 70 militants. Post-strike investigations revealed that more than 30 of the casualties were Afghan nationals, a source added.
Following the incident, Islamabad sent a stern message to Kabul, warning that if cross-border recruitment was not halted, the repercussions would be more severe, the source added.
The message from Amirul Momineen was conveyed to all military commanders along the Pak-Afghan border. A recent Tashkeel (a large Taliban formation) was successfully thwarted, and several recruiters were arrested in the provinces of Khost, Paktika, and Paktiyacollectively known as Loya Paktiya or larger Paktiya, the stronghold of the Haqqani Network.
This was the second time such measures were implementedfirst after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif visited Kabul, and now following the recent visit of Chinese and Pakistani delegations, the source said.
