Key Taliban
...Arabic for
students...
officials have recently appeared to criticize the murderous Moslem group's supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada
...Former deputy to Taliban supremo Mullah Akhtar Mansour, now The Big Man Himself..., whose repressive policies have alienated Afghans and isolated the Taliban's unrecognized government internationally.
Sirajuddin Haqqani
...son of Pashtun warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, still titular head of the Haqqani Network...., the Taliban's powerful interior minister, gave a speech on February 11 in which he appeared to accuse Akhundzada of "monopolizing power" and "hurting the reputation" of the murderous Moslem group.
Another influential Taliban official, Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, said in a February 15 speech in Kabul that the murderous Moslem group "should never be arrogant" and must "always respond to the legitimate demands of the nation."
Taliban front man Zabiullah Mujahid told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi on February 16 that "all members share the same thoughts, beliefs, and ideology," adding that Haqqani and Yaqoob were merely making suggestions.
Why It's Important: Haqqani and Yaqoob's public comments appear to have lifted the lid on the widening rifts within the Taliban, which has come under national and international condemnation for its severe restrictions on women's rights and human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal
liberty...
abuses.
As the Taliban has attempted to transform from an insurgency into a functional government after seizing power in 2021, there have been mounting reports of infighting.
Akhundzada, who rarely travels outside his stronghold in the southern province of Kandahar, has consolidated power and empowered ultraconservative holy mans who share his turban views.
What's Next: It is unclear yet if growing internal and foreign criticism will force Akhundzada to moderate his policies.
Experts do not expect internal differences to lead to an open revolt. But the infighting suggests that a growing number of Taliban officials believe change is necessary.
THE WEEK'S BEST STORIES
- A devastating humanitarian and economic crisis has forced some Afghans to turn to the booming methamphetamine industry to eke out a living and stave off starvation. Thousands of people are believed to be earning money by collecting ephedra, a wild herb that is used to make crystal meth. "For now, it is our only source of income," harvester Ahmad Wali told Radio Azadi. "We collect it from the mountains and sell it in the city."
- After 30 years in business, Gul Rahman says he may have to close his Kabul butcher's shop. The economic collapse since the Taliban regained control in Afghanistan has seen demand for meat plummet. "I can say many people can't afford to buy meat once a month," Rahman told Radio Azadi in this video. "People have a lot of troubles. If it goes on like this, I guess I will leave this occupation because there's no business."
WHAT TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Taliban fighters stormed the offices of the private Tamadon TV station in Kabul on February 14, a witness told Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity.
The gunnies, who identified themselves as Taliban Interior Ministry personnel, seized three vehicles belonging to the TV station. It was unclear if any staff members were detained.
A front man for the Taliban later said that "our forces entered the television [station] by mistake." The Afghanistan Journalists Center, a local watchdog, accused the Taliban of "intimidation."
Broadcasting mainly religious content, Tamadon TV was established by Ayatollah Mohammad Asif Mohseni, a prominent Afghan Shi'ite holy man who died in 2019.
I thought it was important because they were going after a television station, not realizing it was Shiite.
Why It's Important: In the past, Afghanistan's Sunni Taliban rulers have suppressed the country's Shi'ite Hazara...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets...
minority.
Since regaining power, the Taliban has tried to assuage Hazara fears of discrimination and persecution. But rights groups have documented the extrajudicial killings and forced evictions of Hazara by the Taliban in parts of the country.
The raid on Tamadon TV is also the latest attempt by the Taliban to suppress media freedom in Afghanistan. The murderous Moslems have waged a brutal crackdown on dissent that has targeted journalists, human rights defenders, and intellectuals.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center said it recorded 260 cases of press-freedom violations in 2022, including "detentions, threats, assaults, and restrictions on media outlets, journalists, and in particular women journalists."