Israeli daily reports about rising tensions between intra-Taliban groups

Kabul – Taliban took control of Afghanistan last August. But a few analysts had warned that considering the centuries-old history, the Taliban could not establish a government in the near future with all the factions operating in tandem. Israeli daily Times of Israel pointed out that this warning is becoming a reality with tensions brewing between the Taliban’s Mullah Baradar and Haqqani factions.

Over the last six months, Taliban has been trying to establish its rule in Afghanistan. But the Israeli daily claimed that internal feuds and ethnic disputes are rocking the Taliban regime. The daily has cited the tension prevailing between Loya Kandahar and Loya Paktia. Loya Kandahar is the group loyal to Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister in the Taliban regime. Besides, the terrorist organisation Haqqani network group under Pakistan controlled Sirajuddin Haqqani is known as the Loya Paktia.

The group of Sirajuddin Haqqani declared as the internal security minister in the Taliban regime is a radical Pashtun supporter. Scepticism regarding the Kabul leadership is on the rise in the other Taliban groups due to the policies of the Haqqani Network. At the same time, the Israeli daily has pointed out that unwillingness of Sirajuddin Haqqani to include Taliban leaders of other ethnicities in the Taliban regime has not gone down well with Mullah Baradar.

Earlier, a conflict had been sparked between the Baradar and Haqqani groups over the Taliban leadership. Last year, in September, Mullah Baradar had to face pugilism by the Haqqani terrorists at the Presidential residence. After this, a conflict was sparked between the Baradar and Haqqani supporters, and many had been injured in the fights. After the incident, Baradar had severed his contact with Kabul for a few weeks.

But along with this tension, ethnic disputes are also surfacing in the Taliban. Last year, in December, Tajik and Uzbek groups from the Taliban detained some Pashtun group members. The Tajik and Uzbek groups accused that these members of the Pashtun group had links with the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

On January 13 this year, the Haqqani group had arrested Makhdoom Alam Rabbani, an influential Uzbek commander from the Taliban in the Faryab province. Sirajuddin Haqqani had accused Makhdoom of kidnapping rackets and hiding 300 rifles. Besides, Sirajuddin had also arrested Kari Wakil, an influential Tajik Commander from the Taliban next day itself.

After both these incidents, the Tajik-Uzbek groups from northern and northwestern Afghanistan had made preparations for a rebellion against the Pashtun group of Haqqani. Sirajuddin Haqqani had issued a warning to the Tajik-Uzbek groups by sending 300 terrorists from the Badri Unit formed for suicide attacks. The tension in northern Afghanistan defused after this. The Israeli daily claimed that the discontent in the Tajik-Uzbek groups against Pakistan supported Haqqani group has not reduced.

The Israeli daily has predicted a strong possibility that the Tajik-Uzbek groups discontented with the Haqqani group may join the Northern Resistance Front led by the influential Afghan leader Ahmed Masood.