Former jihadi leader Ismail Khan said Tuesday that the Taliban’s actions over the past four years have proven the legitimacy of his resistance against the Taliban.
In a statement marking the fourth anniversary of Herat’s fall to the Taliban, Khan urged Afghans to work “by every possible means” to change and reform the country’s situation so that the people’s aspiration for “a justice-based, compassionate and committed system” can be achieved.
Honoring those killed in the southwestern resistance, Khan accused the Taliban of seizing Herat “through bloodshed, killing and numerous conspiracies.”
He said that before the city fell, a popular resistance movement had taken shape, but “complex conspiracies and traitorous deals” dragged the country into a dangerous regression. He described the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s provinces and Kabul as the result of “a complex, multi-layered intelligence project.”
Khan was captured by the Taliban after Herat’s fall in August 2021 but was released a few days later and went into exile in Iran.
