Taliban defense minister urges members to ‘forget the past’
The Taliban’s defense minister on Sunday urged members to “forget the past” and avoid settling old scores, warning that revenge and factional rivalries could once again plunge the country into internal conflict.
Speaking at a gathering in Kabul marking the 37th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid called on Taliban members to set aside political and factional divisions rooted in earlier decades of war.
“Forget the past. Think about the future,” Yaqoob said in a 28-minute speech. “Do not think that this person belonged to this faction or that group. Remove from your minds the idea that someone did this or that against us and that today is the day of revenge.”
“If the mentality of revenge exists, then this blessing will not remain,” he added, referring to the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. “Think about what the consequences would be.”
His remarks come as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in its latest report that 28 former security personnel and officials from the previous government were detained and tortured in the final three months of last year. The Taliban have previously rejected allegations of systematic reprisals.
Mujahid also sought to reassure neighboring countries and the broader international community, saying Afghanistan under Taliban rule posed no threat and would not accept directives from foreign governments.
“If they are neighboring countries, countries in the region or beyond, we want to assure them that Afghanistan is not a threat to you,” he said. “The current system of Afghanistan has no ill will toward you. We ask them to come — the doors of engagement are open.”
The event commemorated Feb. 15, 1989, when the last Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan after a 10-year occupation that began in December 1979 following the installation of a Moscow-backed government in Kabul. The Soviet intervention and the civil war that followed left millions displaced and killed large numbers of civilians.
Ten years of war against Soviet forces, followed by fighting among rival Afghan factions, devastated the country and laid the groundwork for decades of continued conflict.
At the ceremony, several men who said they had been wounded in those wars described the lasting toll.
Abdul Karim said he was 20 when he was struck by shrapnel during the fighting, losing both eyes and a leg. “My leg was hit, my head was hit, and as a result I lost my sight,” he said. “My hearing was also damaged. Now my life is very difficult. No one hears our voice.”
Another man, Ehsamuddin, said he had fought Soviet forces in Ghor Province and later during the war that followed the American intervention in 2001.
“We fought against the Soviets and gave thousands of martyrs,” he said. “During the war with America we also lost people. Now life is very difficult.”
The Taliban declared a public holiday to mark the anniversary.