The division grows between the Taliban leadership and its leader in Afghanistan

Kabul (EFE)

Faced with their monolithic image projected to the world, experts and the international community have always identified two currents among fundamentalists: that of the historical mujahideen fighters headed by Akhundzada and the Haqqani network.

United now in the interim government of the Taliban, but under the control of the supreme leader, tension begins to flourish.

Against the monopoly of power

“Monopolizing power and hurting the reputation of the entire system are against our interests,” Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani snapped during a speech in Khost province on February 11.

In command of the feared network founded by his father, Jalaluddin, accused of carrying out the worst attacks in Kabul before the fall of the previous government, Haqqani went on to say that the Taliban need to have “patience, behave well and interact with people to heal their wounds.”

In addition to his statements, captured on video and shared on social networks, are those of Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob, who on February 15 called on the government “not to be arrogant” and to “respond to the nation’s legitimate requests.” ”.

The elusive Akhundzada, named the Taliban’s third supreme leader in 2016 after the death of his predecessor in a US drone strike, runs Afghanistan from southern Kandahar, handpicking everything from ministers to provincial police chiefs to regional councils of clerics. .

With this centralization of power, it is common for Taliban officials to stress during official programs that it is mandatory to agree with the orders of the supreme leader.

But one of the fundamentalist negotiators in Doha with the United States, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, stressed during a recent graduation ceremony in the eastern province of Logar that “it is not obligatory to agree with the orders of the leaders if they do not they conform to Islam.”

infighting

These more or less critical comments, launched at events and official acts, are captured by experts to point to fractures in the power of the Taliban.

“The disagreement between the Taliban is not ideological, but regional and based on tribes,” political analyst Ahmad Saeedi explained to EFE.

Centered in the southeastern province of Khost, the Haqqani network headed by the interior minister is trying to gain leverage against the Taliban traditionally from the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand.

In this struggle for power, Haqqani has been constrained as head of the Interior by the appointment of two figures considered loyal to Akhundzada.

“The supreme leader has restricted the authority of the interior minister and appointed two influential but loyal people who have the authority to implement his orders even if Haqqani disagrees,” a source close to the government told EFE, who requested anonymity.

Against international isolation

The succession of decisions restricting the rights of Afghan women, such as the prohibition of higher education or the veto on women’s work in national and international NGOs, and other policies that have attracted international criticism also irritate a part of the fundamentalists and They are a source of friction.

“Some of the Taliban do not want their government to be isolated because of recent tough decisions and are pushing to bring reforms and engage with the world,” political expert Aziz Marij told EFE.

But the fundamentalists’ increasingly repressive policies appear to emanate directly from their supreme leader, leaving little leeway for those who might seek change from his first 1996-2001 regime.

“The supreme leader seems to insist on these measures out of personal conviction and submissive clerics have established their authority over the government and the country,” political analyst Wais Nasiri explained to EFE.

Former Taliban and analyst Akbar Agha also interpreted Haqqani’s recent remarks as a call for greater political inclusion, in the face of an interim government made up almost exclusively of ethnic Pashtun Sunni clerics.
“His speech also means that the government should be open to all Afghans,” Agha said.

Different interpretations but no disagreements

Accusations of internal divisions have always been rejected by the Taliban. The deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, told EFE that fundamentalists may have different “interpretations”, but these “can never be interpreted as disagreements”.

“All leaders and subordinates obey orders and have perfect respect for each other as brothers,” according to Ahmadi.