Taliban using Indian assistance for their own families, not people in need: Ahmad Massoud

The Taliban regime has used India’s humanitarian aid for “their personal forces and their families, now no longer the humans in reality in want”, in line with Ahmad Massoud, chief of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, that’s the important thing competition to the Taliban.

Massoud additionally drew a hyperlink among Afghanistan beneathneath the guideline of thumb of the Taliban and an boom in violence in Kashmir.

In an special interview to The Indian Express from an undisclosed vicinity withinside the region, Massoud, the 33-year-vintage son of the mythical Ahmad Shah Massoud who became referred to as the Lion of Panjshir, stated, “I do now no longer need energy and my warfare is for justice proper now… my fight, it’s for justice and freedom.”

India is withinside the system of sending 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan via the UN’s World Food Programme. But Massoud stated that “Taliban has used [India’s] humanitarian aid for his or her personal forces and their families, now no longer the humans in reality in want”.

“They aren’t dispensing useful resource justly, and that they provide it to 1 location extra than the others primarily based totally on ethnicity,” he stated. This is the primary time that an Afghan chief has made this fee in opposition to the Taliban.

Asserting that Afghanistan has long past lower back to the “darkish ages”, Massoud stated that the Taliban is harbouring Al Qaeda and different terror groups. “They are on foot round and working freely,” he stated.

Referring to the American strike that killed Ayman Al Zawahiri, he stated that the presence of the Al Qaeda chief in valuable Kabul on the time of the assault became “now no longer surprising”.

“Giving in to the desire of the Taliban, is giving in to the desire of terrorism,” he stated, as he lashed out at Pakistan for being a “mentor” to Taliban. “This is a hearthplace that Pakistan performed with, and we can see ultimately that it’s going to backfire at them,” he stated.

“The rule of the Taliban can be a secure haven, and mainly while there’s no valid authorities in Kabul. It is a secure haven for lots terrorist groups, Jaish-e-Mohammed and lots of others, that are a danger to India and to all nations withinside the region. For them to flourish, to apply Afghanistan to operate, to recruit and strategically goal their personal kind of targets,” he stated.

“The activities in Kashmir have elevated for the reason that takeover of the Taliban. There is a right away hyperlink among Afghanistan beneathneath the guideline of thumb of the Taliban and the boom withinside the violence in Kashmir and additionally boom withinside the violence of those terrorist groups, due to the fact they see the opportunity that if we preserve the bloodshed and the fear acts, similar to the Taliban, we can additionally can be supported, we can additionally achieve success in setting up an extremist authorities someplace else. It may be very critical for all of us, to position all efforts collectively and to defeat this extremist narrative, due to the fact it’s miles spreading,” Massoud stated.

Asked approximately the distinction in India’s method from in advance while it’s miles stated to have covertly helped his father Ahmad Shah Massoud’s Northern Alliance withinside the 1990s, he stated, “I suppose the distinction in method is the hesitation. India continues to be withinside the system of assessing the situation. This hesitation is fatal. It may be very wrong. And we want on the spot motion earlier than the ideology takes root or earlier than the terrorist unearths a foundation.”

He stated, “It may be very critical to recognize we’re at the equal page, and we’re persevering with the equal direction of my father. So the earlier the hesitation is over, the earlier we come to the realization that there need to be a joint attempt collectively in opposition to terrorism withinside the region, the better. Because whether or not we find it irresistible or now no longer, we’re the ultimate line of defence of Afghanistan’s humans in opposition to terrorism.”

He stated that he has reached out to India “all ranges of the authorities” and sought “political aid” and “[military] logistics”.

Massoud additionally stated that he became supplied a role withinside the Taliban authorities, while he met the regime’s Foreign minister Amir Khan Mottaqi in Iran this year, and that he had declined the offer.

On the resistance being hooked up with the aid of using his fighters, he stated there are approximately 3,500 of them who’re spreading out from Panjshir valley, and increasing to Herat, Faryab, Mazhar, Kunduz, Baghlan, Takhar and Badakhshan.

Massoud stated that they’ve created a “command and manipulate centre”. “We don’t have any aid from out of doors whatsoever. It is primarily based totally at the generosity of our personal humans and their dedication and preference to preserve to face up to and fight….But our tactic at this second is precisely what my father (Ahmad Shah Massoud) used in opposition to the Soviets at that time, which became guerrilla warfare,” he stated. Massoud’s father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, became assassinated days earlier than the 9-11 assaults withinside the US.