US orders release of prisoners, not Ghani; Ex-Taliban official told ILNA

Despite the agreement signed between the US and the Taliban in Doha, the situation in Afghanistan remains unclear. A car bomb exploded in Khost province yesterday, killing three and injuring three others, but no one accepted the responsibility for it. This has made everyone look at the peace deal with suspicion. In this regard, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced yesterday that he would not participate in the inter-Afghan talks unless 6,000 Taliban prisoners were released.

The Taliban's stance is in response to President Ashraf Ghani's remarks on Sunday that the national unity government has made no commitment to the release of Taliban prisoners.

But under the circumstances, US Army Chief of Staff Mark A. Milley has also said that they do not expect a complete halt to the US-Taliban peace deal after the strikes in Afghanistan, a position that looks very important, albeit strange and makes the exit of the U.S forces look suspicious.

To explore and analyze these ambiguities and answer many of the questions, we conducted an exclusive interview with Mawlawi Syed Mohammad Akbar Agha, the former Taliban commander, and leader of the Afghan Rescue Council. He was the Taliban's commander-in-chief at the time of the US military arrival in Afghanistan and has served as the Taliban's military commander in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Afghanistan. Syed Akbar Agha was sentenced to 16 years in prison for kidnapping three UN employees in 2004 and was released after five and a half years.

ILNA: Some have identified you as a former Taliban military commander and others have called you an effective political member. What was your main position during the Taliban rule?

A: The fact is that during the Taliban, I served as a military commander for about a year at the Meidan-e-Shahr axis, which encompassed almost four districts. I had no other responsibility in that time and in Jaghatu (northwest of Ghazni), Khwaja Hijran (in Baghlan Province), Jalrez (in Maidan Wardak Province) serves as a military commander. I also served in Kapisa.

ILNA: Some reports indicate that you served as the commander of Jaysh al-Muslimin. In what part of the Taliban structure was this branch located and what was its function? Was al-Muslimin a separate organization from the Taliban?

A: Before the Taliban, we had an organization called Jaysh al-Muslimin and I participated in it. It was not different from the Taliban. We had that organization because the Taliban was not operational yet.

ILNA: Why did you leave the Taliban?

A: We were not separated, but we worked in the same structure.

ILNA: According to the reports, you were sentenced to sixteen years in prison for kidnapping three UN staff in the year 2004, and then you were pardoned. Were you appointed to leading the Afghan Rescue Council after that period?

A: I was imprisoned for five and a half years and I believed that peace in Afghanistan should be achieved. That's why we created the Afghan Rescue Council. It is a movement that has representatives in all the provinces, and I must say that no more powerful organization is found in Afghanistan. We believed that Afghanistan needed peace and that the end of the wars should be peace. That’s why we formed this council. There is currently one session held by this council every week, and we now have an office in every part of the country that aims to bring peace to Afghanistan.

ILNA: As a former Taliban member, how do you assess the signing of the agreement with the US?

A: There is no doubt that this was the first time that the United States did something like that. One day, the United States calls a group a terrorist name and the other day they sign an agreement, which is the custom of the Americans. However, this is a positive step for the oppressed nation of Afghanistan, and we hope that our nation will get rid of this situation and that the United States will leave Afghanistan.

ILNA: You have always opposed the creation of the Taliban's political office in Qatar and have considered it merely a political show. What is the reason for this?

A: No, it’s not true. On the contrary, I support it. That's what we were asking for from the beginning, and some friends said the Taliban had no place, and that should be determined. This was the request of some friends to create an office for the Taliban in Qatar, and it was a good move. The same move brought the issue of war in Afghanistan and to an end.

ILNA: Many believe that you have always advocated radical approaches to achieving political goals. What is the reason for this? Why don't you find negotiation a good solution?

A: It’s not true. I believed in political solutions such as the establishment of the Afghan Rescue Council, which would end violence through negotiation and politics. I have always said that the US is an occupying country and have occupied Afghanistan. I believe that the US presence in Afghanistan is an occupation and the bloodshed and war have been the result of its presence in Afghanistan. But we are saying that the US will pull out of Afghanistan by negotiation, but the Taliban force has had an impact!

ILNA: What are the goals and achievements of the Afghan Rescue Council? Explain the ups and downs of this trend over the past few years.

A: Our biggest goal is to raise the issue of Afghanistan so that it can be resolved by the Afghan people. This is a nation that is experiencing a great deal of suffering. We are a Muslim nation and we have the right to experience peace. Of course, there have also been challenges that the government has attacked this office several times, and I believe they either do not want the problem resolved by the people or that the government did not want an Islamic system to be formed here.

ILNA: Some news and documents show that you have always been against any appeasement to Kabul although you were pardoned by the government and released from prison. How can this contradiction be justified?

A: I shall not answer this question.

ILNA: How do you and others who have left the Taliban evaluate an integrated peace in Afghanistan?

A: The solution is that because we are a Muslim nation, an Islamic mechanism must be created, and both factions will follow the same Islamic mechanism. I believe that in this way peace will come to Afghanistan.

ILNA: News of Americans leaving Afghanistan is contradictory. What is the reason for this and do you think they will leave Afghanistan forever?

A: As far as I know, the Taliban had previously said that we would not sign the agreement until an American military presence in Afghanistan ceases to exist. Now, the group also believes that US troops should leave Afghanistan. I don't think these statements are true. We saw in the agreement that there should not be a (US) military in Afghanistan. Both the Taliban and the Americans have signed on and are likely to leave.

ILNA: Has the Taliban secretly accepted US presence in Afghanistan?

A: No!

ILNA: Two days ago Ashraf Ghani announced that he would not accept the exchange of 6,000 Taliban prisoners, which was a condition of the agreement. Is it possible that the presidential palace will not release the Taliban prisoners?

A: I do not think so. The Afghan government cannot operate by its own will and all the prisoners held in the state prison have been arrested by US forces. We see clearly that wherever there are bombing and assault, the Americans are there and they have the right to release the detainees.

We saw that whenever Ashraf Ghani laid the red line, that red line turned yellow. He had said that the ceasefire was their red line, but we saw it turned to yellow. They claimed that Anas Haqqani's release was their red line, but this was also neglected. I am 100 percent convinced that this red line will also be adjusted, which is an absurdity for Ashraf Ghani. He makes a comment today and will be used against himself tomorrow.

ILNA: Will the Taliban again take military action if the prisoners are not released?

A: They will be released!

ILNA: How do you see inter-Afghan negotiations? How serious are the differences and what are the obstacles?

A: On one side are the Americans, and on the other is the Afghan government, which has been at the forefront of Americans since day one. I believe that the Americans have no right to interfere in the inter-Afghan negotiations, they now have to leave Afghanistan, and if they leave, there will certainly be no opposition from the government.

ILNA: Why do you think Iran was absent in the Doha agreement? To what extent can this affect bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Iran?

A: The individuals and organizations that participated at the Doha meeting were organized at the will of the United States and the Taliban, and I believe that the reason for the absence of an Iranian representative was that the Americans did not have a good relationship with Tehran. It's possible that the United States has asked the Taliban that Iran should not participate and they have agreed to avoid any obstacle. I don't think the absence of Iran will affect the relations of the two countries, because Iran knows that the Taliban have no animosity with them.

ILNA: There is some evidence that after the agreement between the Taliban and the United States, the background for the presence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Afghanistan is being set secretly. To what extent do you accept this?

A: Any Islamic country can help us. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have always helped Afghanistan because Afghans are now forced to seek help from them, and I think there is no problem in that.

ILNA: In what areas do you think Riyadh and Abu Dhabi (whether economic, cultural, political or security) will participate in Afghanistan?

A: Currently, all infrastructures in Afghanistan is broken and assistance is needed in all sectors.

ILNA: Is there any indication that Pakistan accepted to facilitate US-Afghan talks in exchange for the assassination of prominent Pakistani Taliban figures on Afghan soil? How accurate is this?

A: It’s not true.

ILNA: Will Pakistan's influence in Afghanistan be decreased after the Taliban's deal with the US?

A: I think we need to have a relationship with Pakistan, Iran, and other neighbors, and we need to. Because countries like Pakistan, Iran, and Russia have much in common with Afghanistan. If there are these positive collaborations, the partnerships will be reciprocal because they both need us and we need them.

ILNA: To what extent does the deal with the US affect the Taliban's relationship with Iran?

A: It will not be affected.

ILNA: Do you think the Taliban will be committed to not harm its neighbors?

A: Afghanistan is in a bad situation. So there is no opportunity for Afghans to keep Afghanistan safe and to harm neighboring countries. I don't think that will happen.

ILNA: As a former Taliban commander, what percentage of Afghan soil is in Taliban hands?

A: Currently, 75-80 percent of Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban.

ILNA: Do you think the Taliban will negotiate with the Kabul government?

A: The Taliban had previously said that if the government is referred to as the "Government of Afghanistan", we would not negotiate, and if it was named "Kabul Bureau", we would negotiate with them as a Bureau. At the moment, I do not think the Taliban have changed their policy and will eventually have a meeting with them as a Bureau.

ILNA: As someone aware of political and military issues, is the US still concerned about the Taliban's relationship with al-Qaeda?

A: Al-Qaeda existed in Afghanistan before the Taliban (during Burhanuddin Rabbani) but the Taliban did not want Al-Qaeda to leave Afghanistan. Of course, they were told that they had no right to invade other countries from Afghanistan. At the moment, I do not think that there is any connection between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, because the members of this group are present in other countries such as the Arab countries near Saudi Arabia and there is no relationship between them. In the agreement, the Taliban have also pledged not to have links with al-Qaeda. The Taliban have an independent mindset and Afghanistan is also independent and will become more and more independent. Of course, I believe that al-Qaeda has some sort of Islamic thinking and that we are in touch with all Muslims, but I don't think the Taliban has any connection with them and attacks other countries.

Interview by: Farshad Golzari

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