Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Hizb-i-Islami party, stated in a message marking a recent holiday that the opportunity to establish an Islamic regime in Afghanistan is slipping away.
Hekmatyar also claimed that Afghanistan is not fully free or independent, as its airspace is still occupied by the U.S. He referred to comments by Tom West, suggesting that the Taliban are in continuous collaboration with the U.S.: “The U.S. embassy should be surrounded, closed, and all its personnel expelled from the country.”
“Afghanistan has yet to achieve full freedom and independence,” he said. “U.S. drones fly constantly and visibly in our airspace and conduct unilateral strikes.”
Previously, Hekmatyar had alleged that both Afghans and the international community believe that the price for the sale of Afghanistan’s airspace to the Taliban by the U.S. is $40 million bags of cash, commenting, “These bags of U.S. dollars are actually bags of poison.”
Hekmatyar added that there should be widespread resistance against those preparing for war and that weapons should be distributed among them.
He emphasized that the Taliban’s governance should be advisory and highlighted the urgent need for a constitution. He also mentioned that unjust taxes should be stopped, a large army should not be formed, girls should be educated, and retirees should receive their pensions.
